


A Super's Hero

by FeistyMouse



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Big Sister Alex Danvers, Big Sister Maggie Sawyer, Big Sisters, Declarations Of Love, Dorks in Love, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/F, Falling In Love, Family, Family Drama, Family Fluff, Family Secrets, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Lena Luthor Doesn't Know Kara Danvers is Supergirl, Lena Luthor Finds Out Kara Danvers is Supergirl, Lena Luthor Needs a Hug, Love, Protective Alex Danvers, Protectiveness, Romantic Fluff, Slow Burn Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, True Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-03-26 22:24:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13867257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeistyMouse/pseuds/FeistyMouse
Summary: After she blows her powers fighting Red Tornado, Kara's life is saved by a woman with striking green eyes. Who'd have thought that an earthquake could be the start of something beautiful?





	1. A Luthor and A Super

**Author's Note:**

> This idea came from a brilliant one shot prompt from KaraLena90, so thank you! It immediately spiralled in my mind from a single story to a multi-chapter fic.
> 
> This AU very loosely begins by following 1x07, Human for a Day, but when Kara finds herself in danger, a striking raven-haired woman is the one to save her. And from there, who knows where their newfound friendship will take them?
> 
> I'm not going to follow the timelines from the show, there will be characters who aren't in S1 as well as storylines from later series' included.

"Don't exhale on the way out," Cat instructs through tight lips, glaring at Kara as if she's going to give her the flu just by looking at her.

Kara sniffles. She can feel every eye trained on her as she walks, completely embarrassed, towards the elevator.

She's so self-conscious that she's pretty sure that she can feel her cheeks flushing, which is a first.

When she steps inside and the doors finally close, she lets out a huge sneeze that she's been holding since she pressed the call button and waited what felt like forever for the elevator to arrive.

"Ugh," she sighs to herself as she leans tiredly against the wall, grateful that she's alone.

If this is what having a cold feels like, she doesn't know how humans survive past infancy because right now she feels like crap.

Stupid sniffling kid on the bus.

Stupid Red Tornado.

She decides that she's going home, putting on her favourite pyjamas and socks, ordering a ton of potstickers and binge watching The Good Place on Netflix while snuggled under a cosy blanket and surrounded by a pillow fort.

She thinks that that's what a human would do.

That's what Alex usually does, and right now the idea of nestling into her couch seems so appealing that she thinks she'll probably never want to leave.

This bad day can surely only get better from here.

The elevator doors whoosh open with a ping that sends a little stabbing pain through Kara's already-pounding head. She makes a beeline for the exit and steps outside into the warm sunlight.

 _Rao, that feels so good_ , she thinks as the sun's yellow rays wash over her Kryptonian cells.

She just wishes that they would bring her powers back, or at the very least make her feel a little less crappy.

That's if her powers ever come back.

Kara shakes her head as she tries to push the thought to the back of her mind, but quickly stops when she feels like her brain is going to burst out of her skull.

She takes a sip of the latte she had ordered for Cat, who had visibly retreated when Kara offered it to her. She feels its warmth soothe her tickling throat a little.

 _The world can survive without Supergirl for one day,_ she thinks.

And then the ground begins to shake violently beneath her feet.

Its vibrations get stronger and stronger until a crack begins to form in the sidewalk, splitting it in two as it stretches further and further down the street.

Kara falls to the ground, unable to maintain any sense of balance.

She doesn't need her powers to be able to hear fear in the screams and cries of people who had been enjoying their day in the sunshine, doing some shopping and sitting leisurely in quaint little cafes. They sprint in all directions trying to avoid the widening gash in the sidewalk and falling debris from wobbling buildings and disintegrating bridges as they endeavour to get to somewhere that they think is safe.

When the terrifying tremors lessen a little, Kara begins to unsteadily get to her feet, the ache in her head quickly turning into a pulsing throb.

Blinking, her eyes focus on the sound of the screeching noise that squeals through her eardrums.

There's a gold SUV careering right towards her.

And in that moment, she freezes.

She can't tear her eyes away from the vehicle, can't make her legs move even though her brain screams at her to get the hell out of its way!

And then she feels a hand shove hard against her shoulder, tackling her to the ground.

A severe splitting pain shoots through her right arm, causing Kara to cry out in immense pain.

She's never felt anything like it in her life.

She clutches her tender arm to her chest. Pangs of pain radiate from her elbow down to her fingertips and all the way up to her shoulder.

She whimpers as she rolls around against the cold sidewalk, which is now thankfully finally still.

The car has hit a bright yellow fire hydrant, which sends waves of flowing water leaking onto the cracked sidewalk.

It feels like every little movement sends a fresh wave of pain burning through Kara's arm.

But she has to get up, has to make sure that everyone's okay.

Because maybe the world can't survive without Supergirl, even for a day.

"Hey, take it easy there!" Exclaims a feminine voice as Kara uneasily props herself up on her uninjured arm, her other still clutched tightly to her chest. No matter where she holds it, the pain doesn't seem to become any less severe.

Kara looks up to see striking green eyes staring into hers, concern evident in them.

She has to fight the tears welling up in her own.

The woman kneels on the floor next to Kara. She brings her hands towards Kara's arm.

The Kryptonian flinches when the woman's fingers gently touch her arm.

"Sorry, sorry," she says softly, her eyebrows furrowing together as she thinks, analysing Kara's arm. "That might be broken."

Kara whimpers again as she realises that the pain still isn't subsiding.

The woman reacts quickly, pulling her summery scarf from around her neck.

"I'm gonna tie this around you, okay?" She says gently, looking into Kara's eyes again.

Had Kara not been in so much pain, those eyes would have made her heart flutter because they're so, _so_ beautiful, so unlike any she's ever seen. The pretty blue scarf that she has unravelled from around her neck only accentuates them further.

But all Kara's mind can really focus on is her broken limb as she nods.

She bites down hard on her lip to stop herself from crying out as the woman carefully secures her arm in a makeshift sling.

"Almost there, you're doing great," she says reassuringly, flashing Kara a kind smile in an effort to comfort her. She pulls her scarf into a knot behind Kara's neck. "Done!"

Kara takes a few deep, shaky breaths and does her best to smile at the woman who is being so kind to her. "Thank you." She slowly gets to her feet, finding that the woman has slipped her hand into her own and has allowed Kara to rest some of her weight on it.

"Don't mention it. Now we really need to get you checked out."

Kara ignores the pounding in her head as she shakes it vigorously. "No, no, I don't do hospitals. I hate hospitals."

She knows that she needs to go to the DEO, let Alex and Doctor Hamilton take a look at her.

And once her powers come back, her arm will heal in no time.

_Rao, she hopes that her powers come back soon._

She can't go to the hospital with this woman in case they suddenly do come back, because how could she possibly explain to her that her arm is miraculously not broken anymore?

Plus, the city needs Supergirl right now.

"But you need one."

The woman's voice cuts through Kara's rapid thoughts.

_Why won't she just let this go?_

"But I have to help people!" Kara says, gesturing at the chaos around her with her good arm.

"Listen-"

The woman looks at her expectantly with those piercing green eyes that Kara very nearly finds herself getting lost in.

_Oh!_

She's waiting for her name.

"Kara."

"Okay, Kara, you're in no fit state to help anyone and right now you're not helping yourself. If there's anything you should be doing, it's letting me take you to the hospital to get your arm checked out."

Kara sighs reluctantly.

She figures this raven-haired woman is probably right.

Plus her tone is so full of authority, so demanding that it might as well be Alex or Cat practically yelling at her right now because she would never beat either of them in an argument.

"Fine," she mutters, defeated, finding herself unable to say no to this stranger. She suddenly realises that she's only trying to help. "Thank you, uh… I didn't catch your name."

The woman smiles sweetly at Kara, holding out her left hand for her to shake.

"I'm Lena."

/

"Kara, we're on lockdown. Jemm escaped when there was a power outage because of the earthquake. I'm fine, everything's under control, just stay safe. Love you."

 _Liar,_ Kara thinks.

Alex doesn't sound fine on the voicemail she left a little over twenty minutes ago.

Kara hits her speed dial, desperately hoping that Alex really is okay.

No answer.

She calls again and then again but Alex doesn't pick up.

Kara notices Lena look at her when she sighs and slips her phone back into her the pocket of her navy trousers.

"My sister," Kara explains, noting the way that Lena's emerald eyes look boldly into hers. "I can't reach her."

"I'm sure she's fine," Lena says sympathetically, finding it sweet that this pretty blonde girl seems to care about everyone else's wellbeing before her own. "If she's anything like you, she's probably helping people right now."

Kara smiles at Lena as they walk to the hospital. "I guess."

Lena's face reflects Kara's. "How's your arm?"

Kara looks down at the sling and sees the way that it has been delicately, neatly wrapped around her arm with care, like it's not the first time Lena has done one for someone. "It hurts like hell," she admits. "But it'll be okay."

/

"Alex, you have to come help me!"

Kara jumps in the second she picks up the phone, cutting Alex off before she can speak.

She eyes Lena as she talks to the person on the reception desk of the hospital, content that she's far enough away to be out of earshot.

"Why, what's the matter? Are you okay?" Alex sounds really worried, especially because she knows that Kara doesn't have her powers and is susceptible to literally anything right now.

"Arm's broken here. Which, by the way, a warning would have been nice about how much that hurts," Kara complains, looking down at her sling.

"What? Kara, where are you?" The worry in Alex's voice doubles at the sound of broken bones.

"There was a swerving car, this really nice woman pushed me out of the way but I landed on my arm. I'm at National City General. I tried to get out of it but I couldn't think of a good reason to say no." Kara looks over at Lena, who takes a clipboard and pen from the receptionist and begins to walk back towards Kara.

"Oh, Kara," Alex says sympathetically. "Just sit tight, okay? I'm on my way."

"Alex?" Kara asks. "Are you okay?"

There's a slight pause before Alex answers. "I'm fine, Kara. I'm just worried about you right now. I'll be there in twenty, okay?"

"Okay. Love you."

"Love you too."

Kara hangs up as Lena sits in the empty seat beside her.

"Your sister?" She asks, her intense eyes finding Kara's slightly tired blue ones.

"Yeah, she's on her way."

Lena smiles endearingly at Kara, and Kara can't help but reciprocate it.

It's infectious.

"Glad to hear it," Lena says. "The receptionist says that we have to fill out these forms, but we might be in for a long wait because of the earthquake."

_We._

This woman, who has already been so unbelievably kind to her, is going to stay with her.

"I've already taken up so much of your time, I'm sure you're a very busy person. You really don't have to stay. Alex'll be here soon."

As Kara speaks, she realises that she doesn't actually want Lena to leave. She seems really nice, fiercely protective, the kind of person you'd want fighting your corner.

Lena frowns at Kara's words.

 _She has no idea who I am,_ she thinks.

Lena isn't being arrogant, far from it. It's just that most people know of her notorious family and automatically assume that she's just like them, that the rotten apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

So this sweet blonde seemingly not knowing her, not judging her for her family or wealth makes a refreshing change.

It actually makes her heart flutter a little.

"Are you right handed?"

Kara frowns, her crinkle forming deep into her forehead.

"Because if you are, you probably can't fill out this stack of forms," Lena says, gesturing at the papers when Kara doesn't answer her question. She can't help but smile at the adorable way that Kara's cutely furrowed brow turns into light embarrassment when she realises Lena's point.

"Right," Kara sighs as Lena begins to write on the first of many pages.

"K or C?"

"K."

"Surname?"

"Danvers."

"Middle name?"

"No."

Kara answers all of Lena's questions until it comes to health insurance.

"I don't actually have any," Kara says quietly, without adding that she doesn't need any because it's virtually impossible for her to get sick.

And of all the times that that tiny percentage of possibility could actually occur, it just had to be today.

"What? Why not?" Lena frowns at Kara.

She has all sorts of life cover in case anything happens to her, because people seem to be trying to kill her often enough.

Although Kara doesn't know that.

"I, uh, I've never needed it before," Kara says, cringing internally and probably on the outside too at her pathetic justification. It's the best she can come up with so quickly, and she adjusts her glasses nervously, hoping that it satisfies Lena.

Lena's eyes bore into Kara's and Kara doesn't know what to make of the little glint in them, or her expression.

"That has to be the worst excuse I've ever heard," she declares, raising her eyebrow cynically. "That's the whole point of having it."

The news bulletin on the waiting room TV captures both of their attentions, for which Kara is grateful.

"After the worst earthquake in over a hundred years rocks National City to its core, there is one question on everyone's lips; where is Supergirl? The Girl of Steel has been noticeably absent since chaos erupted all around the city just over an hour ago. Have we become too dependent on an unreliable hero?"

Kara simmers, feels anger and frustration bubble in her chest.

She doesn't fly to the rescue for one day and she's practically a villain.

She might as well have caused the earthquake herself.

"I think that if Supergirl could be here today, right now, she would be," Lena says, not taking her eyes off the TV. She's actually glaring at the news anchor as if she can see her.

Kara feels a little weight lift off her shoulders, even if her arm still pangs.

If this woman she doesn't know still believes in Supergirl, maybe other people will too.

It's not like she doesn't wish she could be out there helping people.

Although, she admits to herself, she's quite enjoying Lena's company, even if it is under unforeseen and incredibly unusual circumstances.

"I think you're right," Kara agrees, smiling at Lena's side profile as she continues to stare at the TV. She takes in the strength of her sharp jaw line and the way that her long hair is scraped back into a neat high ponytail.

"Ah, finally! Someone who talks sense!" Lena exclaims when Cat Grant appears, sat behind her huge desk, her hands brought together in front of her like she means business.

"She definitely champions Supergirl," Kara says in response, adjusting her glasses again. She's probing to see what Lena might say next.

"And who can blame her? She's a hero."

Kara bites her bottom lip and smiles at the ground as she realises that that's exactly what she was hoping for.

/

"Kara!"

Alex's voice piques Kara's attention. She sits in the seat that was occupied by Lena, who is handing in Kara's forms at the reception desk.

"Oh my God, Kara," she says softly. She takes in her sister's unusually messy appearance.

Her arm sits gingerly in Lena's scarf, her hair is a little dishevelled, her nose is red from the number of times she's sneezed and had to blow it and her sparkling blue eyes look tired.

"I'm okay, Lexie," she says, and it's partly true.

"I find that a little hard to believe, sweetie," Alex replies gently, putting a stray strand of Kara's hair behind her ear.

She hates to see her sister hurting and it tugs at her heart that right now there's very little she can do to ease her pain. She, as much as Kara, hopes that her powers return soon.

"Lena's taken good care of me," Kara says honestly.

"Lena?"

Kara points at Lena, who looks to be finishing her conversation with the receptionist.

"Kara, you do know who that is, right?" Alex looks over at the younger woman before returning her attention to Kara, her eyebrow raised both sceptically and a little in humour at Kara's apparent obliviousness.

Kara shakes her head, which feels a little better than it did earlier.

"For someone who wants to be a journalist and works for the biggest media company in the world, you don't watch the news much, do you?"

Alex has to stifle a giggle as she looks at the blank expression plastered across Kara's face.

"Kara, the woman over there who saved your life today, she's Lena Luthor."


	2. No Filter

"Good morning, Jess."

 _She's so polite to her assistant. Cat could learn a thing or two from her,_ Kara thinks, a little jealous.

"Good morning, Ms Luthor. There's a Miss Danvers here to see you."

There's no hesitation from Lena. "Thank you. Please send her in. Will you make a note downstairs that Kara Danvers is to be shown in right away whenever possible?"

"Yes, Ms Luthor."

Kara looks up from her seat outside Lena's office as Jess reappears through the large door.

"Ms Luthor is ready for you."

Kara flashes Jess a grateful smile, which she finds is returned to her.

Kara passes Jess and walks into Lena's office. She had been looking forward to seeing Lena again, especially after her display of immense generosity two days prior for which she felt the need to thank her.

Again.

Despite this, there's a strange feeling that radiates from Kara's stomach and seems to filter through her whole body. She doesn't know how to describe it and can't pinpoint exactly why it's there.

"Kara!"

Lena rises from her swivelly chair, a huge smile erupting across her face as she looks at Kara. She holds out her arms to give Kara a hug, which the Kryptonian awkwardly accepts because that wasn't what she was expecting at all.

Kara inhales Lena's strong perfume as she hugs her.

It smells sweet.

A little floral.

Expensive.

"Your arm! How is that possible?" Lena asks when she realises that she can feel two arms wrapped around her, two warm hands resting gently on her back.

Kara has been dreading that question. She doesn't want to lie to Lena.

But she has to.

She doesn't know why it seems to bother her more than it did before she told Winn and James or before Maggie figured it out.

But it does.

"She has eyes, Kara. Of course she'll notice," Alex had said when Kara told her that she wanted to go and thank Lena again in person.

She can't just tell a complete stranger that she's Supergirl, especially when that stranger is Lex Luthor's little sister.

Although she seems to be nothing like the rest of her family.

Imagining Lillian Luthor saving her life almost makes Kara laugh out loud because it's so absurd.

But Kara can tell that Lena is different.

"Oh, well when Alex got me back to my apartment she took a look at it and it wasn't broken. My shoulder was dislocated so she just popped it right back. It's as good as new."

As good as new? Kara sighs internally. Who even says that anymore?

Kara watches Lena's face as she frowns a little at her cover story. Alex had been the one to come up with it because Kara is usually rubbish at stuff like that and would probably tie herself in knots trying to keep up the front and then fall spectacularly flat on her face anyway.

"Oh. Well, I'm glad you're okay," Lena says, her frown becoming a smile again as she eats up Kara's excuse, albeit a little sceptically.

"Thanks to you," Kara says, and she watches as Lena's gaze moves from her eyes to the ground, her cheeks lightly reddening. "You saved me the other day, Lena. Not many people would have been brave enough to do that."

Lena shakes her head. "It was nothing, really. I couldn't just watch that car hit you. I actually feel pretty bad for dislocating your arm."

"What? It was pretty courageous, or maybe a little crazy. You threw yourself in front of a speeding car for me. You're my hero."

Kara winces again, has no idea why she's saying all these cringy things. It's like her brain shorts and her mouth has no filter when she's around Lena.

She figures that this must be how Winn feels most of the time, especially when Superman's in town.

"Speaking of heroes, Supergirl made her appearance the other day," Lena says quickly, seizing the opportunity to change the subject from her.

She's become so accustomed to shouldering criticism, justified or – usually – otherwise, that when praise comes her way it still feels unwarranted.

She's always struggled with it because the only people she's ever truly wanted it, craved it from have been the ones never to offer it to her.

Now, whenever someone commends her for a scientific breakthrough or sealing an important business deal, she struggles to know how to deal with it.

She feels like all the good she tries to do by investing money into the city, into her children's hospital, into her research, is undone twice as quickly by the people who are supposed to be her family.

And because they're either locked up or hiding from the law, all the blame and the anger and the judgement that always ensues is constantly laid firmly at her door, or at least that's how it feels.

Praise has never been a winning feeling for Lena.

But as she swiftly guides their conversation towards Supergirl, she finds that her heart swells at Kara's kind words.

"I guess you were right," Kara agrees, adjusting her glasses now that their topic of conversation has been inadvertently shifted to her, even if Lena doesn't realise it. "I'm sure she had a good reason for not helping out sooner."

Lena nods thoughtfully. "Did you see the picture of her stopping the armed thieves in a convenience store?

Lena sits back in her chair behind her desk and gestures for Kara to take a seat opposite her.

"It was so powerful, so moving and poignant. She didn't threaten him; she talked him down, made him see that we always have a choice. That picture embodies everything she stands for; hope and kindness and safety and so much more. This city, the whole world is so lucky to have her."

Lena suddenly realises that she's staring into space, lost in her own little world. She blinks and returns her attention to Kara, who is staring at her with a little smile on her face.

"I suppose that must sound strange coming from a Luthor?" Lena says, unsure of what to make of Kara's expression.

Kara shakes her head vigorously. "No, it's not that. My friend James actually took that picture."

"Well he's very talented."

A brief silence hangs in the air between them, though it doesn't feel awkward.

Both have found the other easy to talk to, so the pause feels natural.

"Y'know, Alex was pretty impressed with your sling. Where did you learn how to do them?" Kara asks, adjusting her glasses, genuinely interested to hear her answer.

Lena lets out a little laugh. "I've helped out at the Children's Hospital a few times," she replies, hesitating before she continues. "And Lex was always breaking something when we were little. He'd fall out of trees or get into fights with boys twice his size. Of course, I was always to blame because he was only climbing the tree in the first place because he was getting the reddest apple for me or he only got into the fight because I was getting bullied at school and he wanted to stand up for me…" Lena shakes her head. "I'm sorry, I have no idea why I'm telling you this. You don't care!"

Lena's sudden admission makes Kara's heart sink. The injustice makes her angry, albeit a little angrier than she would have expected.

Maybe she does care.

"Alex always had broken bones when we were teenagers, although it usually was my fault. She always got the blame, though, because Eliza thought she should have known better and because I was still getting used to my life here. I always thought it was unfair."

Kara sees Lena frown.

"Your life here?"

Crap.

"Uh, yeah. I'm adopted. My parents… They, uh, died in an explosion when I was twelve. The Danvers' generously took me in." Kara casts her eyes down to the floor. She still finds it hard to talk about, but she finds again that she doesn't want to lie to Lena.

So she hasn't.

"I'm so sorry, Kara," Lena says sadly. "I didn't mean to pry."

Kara waves away Lena's apologies. "It's fine, really. The Danvers have given me my life back, and so much more besides. I guess neither of us has had it easy, huh?"

Lena purses her lips and slowly nods her agreement to show Kara that she couldn't be more right.

Despite the wealth and lavish lifestyle she's inherited, Lena would give anything to have her father back.

She misses him every day and everything she does is in his name, to protect it, to make it mean something good again after all the destruction that Lex and Lillian have caused.

Lionel and Lex were the only people who ever believed in Lena and now they're both gone.

Because everyone leaves.

As silence manifests itself between them once more, Kara suddenly realises the purpose of her visit. She fumbles around in her handbag and produces a wrapped box.

"I actually came here to give these to you, as a thank you for everything you did for me the other day," she says a little shyly as she passes them to Lena over her desk.

Lena's emerald eyes sparkle as she smiles at the pleasant surprise. She begins to unwrap the present when Kara looks at her expectantly.

"I hope you like peanut butter," Kara says hopefully as Lena looks at the box of mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in her hands.

"That's really thoughtful of you Kara, and completely unnecessary."

A moment of realisation washes over Kara and she feels her heart sink. "Oh my Rao, you're not allergic to peanuts, are you?"

Lena chuckles at Kara's unusual choice of curse words and at that caring side that seems to be such a prominent part of her endearing personality. "No, I'm not," she says. "And these are my favourite, as it happens."

Kara's sullen face suddenly visibly relaxes and she lets out a little breath that she didn't even realise she was holding. She stands from her comfortable chair which makes Lena do the same.

Lena makes her way around her desk to give Kara another hug, one that noticeably lasts a little longer than their previous embrace.

"I'm sure you're really busy, I'll get out of your hair," Kara declares as they break apart, slipping the strap of her handbag onto her left shoulder so as not to arouse more suspicion.

"Wasn't that the excuse you used to get rid of me last time?" Lena jokes, remembering what Kara had said to her in the hospital.

Kara bites her lip, cursing herself for making it sound that way. "It wasn't that I wanted to get rid of you. But now that I actually know who you are, I know for a fact that you're busy. I mean, have you seen the size of your office? It's bigger than Cat Grant's! That's the sign of a very busy woman." Kara gestures around her to add to her point.

Lena laughs at Kara's bumbling, finding it cute. "Well, you'd be right in thinking that. You know what they say, the bigger the office…"

Kara stares at Lena blankly, her crinkle forming at her brow. "I've never heard that before."

Lena bites her lip to stop herself from giggling. "I'm kidding, Kara."

If Kara could blush right now, she definitely would. "Right."

Rao, what is wrong with me today? She thinks.

"I hope this isn't the last time we talk," Lena states honestly as she makes her way back to her chair.

Kara watches the back of her as she walks. Her long, dark, straight hair sways behind her back, sitting neatly over her black blazer. "I hope not either," she replies with a flattered smile.

Kara beings to walk towards the door, can feel Lena's eyes trained on her.

Or at least she imagines she can.

"Um, if you have a parking ticket, I can have it validated for you," Lena says as Kara reaches for the door handle.

"Oh, no, no, no, that's fine," she replies forcefully, turning to face Lena again. "I flew here."

Double crap.

"On… On a bus."

Why does this keep happening? How can I go for years keeping my lips sealed to almost outing myself twice in one day?

"Okay, well thanks for stopping by, Kara. Don't be a stranger."

Kara nods and smiles as she steps through the doorway.

But something makes her hesitate.

She has no idea why, but she finds herself turning around and peeking her head around the door.

"Lena?"

Lena's head snaps up from the sheets on her desk. "Yes, Kara?" She says with a smile, putting down the pen in her hand.

"My sister and I have this thing, a, uh, movie night with lots of food and the best hot chocolate in the universe. We're getting together at my place tonight and, well, I'd love it if you would come."

"Oh, Kara, I couldn't possibly impose on your evening."

"Please?" Kara says compellingly. "I insist."

Lena raises her eyebrow, a grin tugging at the corner of her lips. "You do, do you?" She teases, but really she's flattered because no one has ever invited her for a girl's night in before. "As you've given me no choice, I suppose I can't say no, even if I wanted to."

Kara feels excitement build in her chest. "Great! See you at seven-thirty."

"Kara!" Lena shouts as the blonde makes her way out of the door again. She smiles internally as Kara's face appears from behind it. "I don't know where you live."

"Oh," Kara mutters, shaking her head and pulling a reporter's journal and pen from her bag.

She scribbles her address and phone number on a fresh sheet of paper as she walks over to Lena before placing it in her outstretched hand.

"Seven-thirty on the dot," Lena says, beaming at Kara before glancing down at her perfect handwriting. "I'll bring the chocolate."

/

"I still can't believe you invited Lena Luthor to movie night," Alex mutters, putting pizza and potstickers on plates for herself and Maggie. "How does that even come up in conversation?"

Kara throws her hands out dramatically. "I honestly have no idea. It just kinda slipped out."

Maggie moves from her sitting position and kneels on the couch so that she can see Alex and Kara in the kitchen. "I think Little Danvers has a crush on Little Luthor," she teases with a wry smile and a cheeky wink.

"I do not!" Kara fires back, foolishly taking Maggie's bait. "She saved me the other day. I just wanted to say thanks. And don't call her that to her face!"

"Didn't you take her a box of chocolates today?" Alex asks, joining in with Maggie's ribbing.

"Yeah? So?"

"You definitely like her," Maggie says simply, twisting back on the couch as Alex flops next to her.

"She's here!" Kara declares upon hearing footsteps heading up the stairs, ignoring Alex and Maggie and adjusting her glasses as she makes her way towards the door.

/

Lena smoothes her blouse as she heads down the hallway towards Kara's apartment.

God, she hopes she's not overdressed.

She checks her watch.

7:25

At least she's not late.

She takes a deep breath before raising her fist towards the door and rapping on it gently with her knuckles.

To her surprise, it flies open barely two seconds after she knocks.

"Lena!" Kara exclaims, a beaming smile erupting across her face. She grabs Lena's hand and practically drags her into her apartment, throwing the door shut behind her.

"I brought these," Lena mutters, holding out a box of chocolates to Kara. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you like."

Kara studies the box purple box. "Lena, these are fifty dollars a box!"

Lena frowns.

"Cat has them sometimes. She let me have one once. It was like eating a little piece of heaven," Kara adds to make the frown go away. "Thank you."

Lena relaxes a little.

"You remember, Alex," Kara says as her sister and Maggie make their way over from the couch. "And this is her wife, Maggie."

"Alex," Lena says with a smile before offering her hand to the detective. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"We've heard a lot about you," Maggie says. "And I don't mean the news."

Alex nudges Maggie's ribs with her elbow.

Lena looks between them, a little shocked.

Kara adjusts her glasses and stares at her feet.

"Aaanyway," Alex mutters in an effort to make Lena feel more at ease. "We were thinking of watching Notting Hill. You up for it?"

Kara and Lena nod in unison, causing Alex and Maggie to glance at each other and raise their eyebrows in bewilderment.

"Okay, we'll set it up, you guys get your food," Maggie commands, grabbing Alex's arm and dragging her towards the TV.

Kara self-consciously pushes her glasses up her nose. "Just ignore them," she says quietly before raising her voice so that Alex and Maggie can hear. "They're idiots!"

Kara hears them chuckle as she opens a pizza box and grabs five slices. She shakes her head as she offers Lena a plate.

As she takes a few slices, she spies a FBI ID card and an NCPD badge lying on the counter.

"I thought your sister was a doctor? You didn't tell me that she's a fed and married to a cop!" Lena whispers.

Kara follows Lena's line of sight and sees the badges. "C'mon, you guys! Seriously?"

Alex and Maggie have to fight the giggles that threaten to consume them.

'We're only teasing," Alex says lightly, and Lena can see that they don't mean any harm.

"I'm sorry," Kara says sincerely, scooping them up and putting them in a drawer, desperately hoping that Lena isn't upset.

"It's okay, really," Lena replies. "I'd be wary of me if I were them too."

"They're not wary, honestly," Kara reassures Lena. "They're just teasing us."

Lena raises her eyebrow but doesn't question Kara about what she means by that.

They make their way to the couch, Alex on Kara's left and Lena on her right.

Kara flashes Lena a huge smile as Julia Roberts' face fills her TV screen.

Lena can't help but return it because right now she feels like she's cared about, like she's gaining a friend in Kara.

Someone who could be a good friend.

She finds herself watching Kara more than the film and in her reactions she feels like she's seeing the world through her eyes.

Sitting there on Kara's grey couch eating pizza and potstickers and expensive chocolates, all the stress of her demanding job and busy day ebbing away, she feels like a weight has been lifted from her shoulders.

It's the happiest she's been for a long time.


	3. No Matter What

"Listen, Cat-"

"Miss Grant."

"Right… Miss Grant. We've always had an excellent working relationship with CatCo-"

"Exactly. I don't see why we can't just send one of our usual reporters to your little unveiling. Why would you want my assistant to write the article?"

"Have you read any of her work?"

"I must say that I did read a letter she wrote once. It wasn't completely terrible."

"Then I hope you'll give her a chance to prove her potential as a reporter by allowing her to write about my 'little unveiling'."

There's a brief silence on the line while Cat considers the proposal. "Very well. I'll have her attend on CatCo's behalf. But why, dare I ask, do you suddenly have such a vested interest in who attends your events and, in particular, Kara Danvers?"

Now it's Cat who finds herself on the other end of the silence.

"I like to take risks, Miss Grant, but I trust that she'll do us justice."

/

Kara awkwardly fights her way through the crowd of people who have yet to take their seats.

Cat, for reasons unbeknownst to her, has sent her to report on the opening of the new wing at the Luthor Family Children's Hospital.

She's been searching for the seat with her name on it for the last ten minutes, getting more and more flustered as she struggles to locate it.

It's not at the back and it's not in the middle where she expected it to be.

"Excuse me," she says quietly to a group of people gathered near the front row.

It's the only place she hasn't looked.

She still can't understand why Cat has sent her when she has a team full of reporters who would be eager to cover a Luthor story.

Especially as she isn't a reporter.

Still, she's extremely grateful for the opportunity, though she can't help but wonder whether Cat is playing a game in which Kara is the pawn.

Or maybe she's just being nice.

No, Cat doesn't do anything without a reason.

Or without something being in it for her.

With all these thoughts swirling around confusingly in her head, Kara almost misses her name, which is written in pale blue, her favourite colour, and taped to a seat.

She yanks the sheet from the backrest and pulls out her reporter's notebook that she bought specially for the event before making herself comfortable, neither of the seats beside her currently taken.

She looks up from her pad and quickly realises where she's sat.

Her chair is positioned right at the centre of the stage in front of the lectern where Lena will deliver her speech before cutting the ribbon and officially opening the new hospital wing.

But she's pretty sure that none of the other names she saw on the front row are reporters; they're all Lena's fellow CEOs and investors.

So what's she doing here?

She checks the piece of paper that was stuck to the seat again.

Kara Danvers.

Yep, that's her all right.

"The perimeter's secure," Kara hears Maggie say to Alex, presumably down the comms.

Kara breathes a small sigh of relief. She knows how much this day means to Lena. She knows how much she wants it to run smoothly, how much she wants this day and every one after to be a success, to benefit the people of National City and beyond.

The plans for the unveiling had come up over brunch a couple of weeks ago when Kara had asked Lena what her next big project was.

"I wouldn't call it a big project," Lena had said modestly, her quiet words accompanied by a small shrug as she toyed with the sugared doughnut on her plate.

"But didn't you just say that this whole idea was all yours?" Kara had asked, wondering why Lena was playing it down.

Her silence only helped to prove Kara's point.

"Lena, you've built a second wing to your children's hospital and a research centre that will only serve to save the people who use it. I think it's pretty incredible and something very much worth shouting about," Kara had said honestly with a reassuring smile. "I'm proud of you."

I'm proud of you.

Those four words.

Those four important words that give Lena a strange feeling that she can't describe.

Those four tiny words that have not been uttered to Lena since before her father died.

Lena knew that Kara would say that her work was important, and she also knew how much her friend truly meant it, but that little feeling that always clutches at Lena's self-belief and sense of achievement had still swirled around the back of her mind, gnawing away at the meaning and strength and significance of Kara's final comment.

She wouldn't be happy until she had turned the Luthor name into something good, even if it took her the rest of her life.

Of course, Kara had wanted to know how Lena was going to mark the occasion, so when a look of disappointment fell swiftly over Kara's soft features upon being told that she wasn't doing anything, Lena immediately felt the need to do everything she could to get rid of it.

"What would you have me do?" Lena asks with a little raised eyebrow, her lips pinched together playfully.

Kara's face suddenly creases, her crinkle making its appearance.

Lena loves that crinkle, moreover, she loves to be the one to cause it because it always makes her lips turn up into a little uncontrollable smile.

"I have an idea," Kara begins with a grin. "But you'll have to wait and see!"

Lena had sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes, causing Kara to laugh heartily.

"Will you come?" Lena asked her friend hopefully.

"To the opening?" Kara suddenly looked a little taken aback.

"No, to Mars," Lena teased, doing her best not to laugh when Kara's expression changed to shock. "Yes, to the opening, silly!"

A million thoughts had swum around in Kara's head until she had managed to promise to try. She was honoured that Lena wanted her there.

Despite her best efforts, Kara couldn't get the day off work and had apologised profusely to Lena, who was disappointed, although she tried not to show too much of that to Kara.

And then she'd had what she considered to be her best brainwave yet.

If Kara couldn't get time off, why not kill two birds with one stone?

Kara twists in her seat and spots Maggie standing in full NCPD gear by the entrance of the event before catching glimpses of Alex ambling nonchalantly through the crowd.

While there is always a huge police presence at any L-Corp event, extra security is always put in place for Lena.

Her name means that she's a constant target for protestors and angry boardroom members and the injustice of it angers Kara because the Lena who has come to be her friend over the last few weeks would never do anything to hurt anyone. Kara just wishes that everyone else could see that too.

As soon as she learned that she was to attend, Kara had immediately asked Alex to be there too.

She wanted to be sure that, if anything were to happen, someone she knew and trusted would be on hand to help.

And there are no two people she trusts more than Alex and Maggie to help her make sure that her new friend is safe, even if Kara's not there as Lena's friend.

Kara wants it to go as perfectly as Lena feels that it needs to be. She always demands nothing less than perfection from herself, another trait that Kara has noticed about her very quickly, one that she admires because of her drive and the effort she puts into everything, but also feels is one of the shortfalls of her personality.

Because you can't be perfect all of the time.

Kara is probably more anxious than Lena right now because she knows how much it means to her.

Although she hasn't seen Lena, she listens intently for her heartbeat, hoping that she's not too flustered. While Kara can always find Alex's instantly and Maggie's almost as quick, it takes just a couple of seconds longer to find Lena's because it's so new to her. Still, she finds it easily above all the others.

A small smile plays across her lips as she blocks everything out and listens to the regular thump thump thump, because it makes her happy to know that Lena is okay and amuses her that her own heart is beating twice as fast. Lena's drums so steadily that you wouldn't even know that she was about to go on stage and deliver a speech to a few hundred people as well as all those watching live on the news.

As the time quickly approaches ten, people begin to take their seats in the warm spring sun and a gentle cooling breeze tickles Kara's hair, which is pulled back, half up, half down.

The hum of voices disappears when Lena walks confidently – or at least that's how she looks to Kara – onto the stage, her heels clicking against the wood. Her black and white polka-dot blouse is tucked neatly into her trousers and shows off her beautiful figure, which makes Kara's heart accelerate just a little more, even if her brain doesn't fully register it happening.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining me on this lovely morning." Lena's eyes immediately lock onto Kara's and she smiles before continuing. "When my father opened the Luthor Family Children's Hospital, he vowed that it would be available to anyone and everyone who needed it. He called it his proudest work because it was able to provide help and care and support to so many. Twenty years on, the hospital and each of its incredible medical professionals continue to provide the highest standard of care to all patients-"

"LIAR!"

Confused, Lena's eyes scan the crowd as whispers begin to surface, but she can't find the source of the outcry.

Seeking out Kara again, she decides to focus on her as she continues.

"And with the addition of a second children's wing and the Lionel Luthor Research Centre, more young people will be able to receive breakthrough treatments in state-of-the-art facilities-"

"LIAR!"

Lena puts her hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun as she searches the crowd again. She sees Kara spin in her seat, her attention fixed on someone a few rows behind.

"Apologies, ladies and gentlemen. The state-of-the-art facilities will give these young people the greatest chance of recovery and remission and the chance for a prosperous future-"

"LIAR!"

This time, the owner of the voice rises from a seat in the middle of the crowd. Every single head turns to look at the man, whose jaw is set, his left fist balled and his right sitting in his coat pocket.

This is exactly what Lena had been dreading. She knew that something would go wrong because something always does, and no matter how much she prepares for it, it always manages to creep up on her blind side and smack her right in the face.

Lena sees Maggie walking down the aisle, ready to remove the man to allow the ceremony to continue. She holds her hand up to stop her.

Maggie's brows knit in confusion but she does as Lena asks, hovering at the end of the aisle that the man is sitting on in case she changes her mind.

"Can I help you, sir?" Lena asks nicely, keeping her frustration and concern out of her voice.

"You're a liar, Lena Luthor. Your precious hospital doesn't save lives; it ruins them."

Lena doesn't know how to respond, how to react. She stares at the man, unable to form any coherent thoughts.

"What's the matter, huh? Truth hurt?"

Lena shakes her head. "The Luthor Family Children's Hospital has helped-"

"I don't care what you hospital has done for so many," the man shouts, anger building in his voice. "Because your medical professionals let my son die."

The audible gasps that ring around the audience double in volume when the man removes his hand from his pocket, revealing a gun.

He aims it straight at Lena, who stands frozen, rooted to the spot.

Kara grips the back of her seat, feels it begin to crumple beneath her fingers as panic begins to set in.

She wants to help but she can't, not with all these people and cameras around her.

She has to figure out a way, has to protect Lena.

Maggie whips out her police-grade handgun instantly. "Put the weapon down, sir."

The man spins to face the tiny detective, training his gun on her.

Kara watches as Alex snaps into agent mode and darts towards Maggie, her protective instincts kicking in just like Kara's did.

Maggie slowly and slightly raises her hand in Alex's direction. "It's okay, Alex," she whispers into the comms in an attempt to reassure her wife. "Just get everyone out of here."

Reluctantly, Alex follows Maggie's command and begins to quietly usher people from the back row to safety. She can see the mix of emotions on Kara's face, knows how desperate she is to place herself between Lena and the angry man, that it's killing her that she can't switch into her suit to protect her and Lena and Maggie and everyone else.

The man suddenly turns his attention back to Lena. "Your so-called medical professionals didn't save him."

Despite the gun being aimed at her, Lena's expression softens upon realising that this man is grieving for someone. "I'm so sorry that we couldn't help your son-"

Two gunshots ring through the air, the noise echoing into the distance.

"No! You don't get to be sorry!" The man shouts as chaos erupts around him, his arm still raised towards the sky where the shots were aimed.

People flee towards the exit, shouts and cries rising above the stampede of thundering footsteps.

Amongst the herd of people is Kara, who stops briefly when Alex grabs her wrist.

"Be careful," she says quietly.

"Always," Kara promises, knowing that Alex is telling her to make sure she's completely hidden when she changes from her work dress into her suit.

Lena feels relief amongst her internal panic as she watches Kara disappear to safety.

"You don't get to be sorry because he had his future taken away from him."

"Sir, put down your gun," Maggie commands again.

The man ignores her.

"Your whole family is a disease that we can never quite get rid off, and now my son, whose life I placed in the hands of your hospital, is dead."

"Sir," Alex tries, approaching the man from his other side now that the area has been cleared of everyone except her, Maggie, Lena and the police.

"Your hospital failed my son, failed my family. Someone has to pay."

"Sir-"

Bang.

The crack of a single shot ricochets around the open space.

Lena's entire body tenses, gripped by fear.

But then she realises that, in the time that it took for her body to subconsciously react to the impending threat that the noise brought with it, she should have been dead.

Lena hesitantly opens her eyes, slowly raising them from the ground. They see a single shell lying on the floor by a pair of high-top boots. They take in the bold red material in front of her that flutters in the breeze, the red that has come to mean so much to so many, herself included. Her eyes flit up to the shoulders it proudly hangs from. Although they're far from it physically, Lena knows that, like hers, these shoulders are broad from all the fights and criticism and hardship they've faced. Despite the cape and the boots and toned legs and arms, the feature that sticks out most in Lena's mind is the blonde hair that cascades in waves over the figure's shoulders, because the person she has come to trust and care about the most in this world has blonde hair, and that person represents safety and hope, to her, just as much as the individual standing in front of her does.

"Supergirl," Lena gasps in disbelief, her mouth finally catching up with her brain.

The hero she has come to admire is standing right in front of her.

She saved her life.

"If you kill Miss Luthor, you'll regret it for the rest of your life," Kara shouts. "I know that you're angry and upset, and I'm truly sorry about your son, but this isn't the way to deal with your grief."

"How can you possibly understand?" The man's voice wavers, his earlier anger replaced with sadness.

Kara hovers in the air and carries herself slowly towards the man, ensuring that her body still shields Lena. She lands on the ground and begins to walk towards him slowly as she speaks.

"I have lost so many people whom I love and I know that taking your anger out on someone else seems like the easiest way to make yourself feel better, to relieve yourself of the pain, but Lena Luthor didn't kill your son, and killing her won't make your pain go away. It's something that you'd never be able to take back."

Kara stands three feet away from the man, whose gun is still pointing towards her, although Kara can sense that he no longer has any intention of using it.

"I'm sure that this isn't what your son would have wanted."

Kara holds out her hand and the man allows her to take the weapon from his. He blinks a few times before the look on his face makes it clear that he realises what he's just done, what he was about to do, before silent tears begin to slip down his cheeks.

Maggie immediately slips her own gun back into its holster before whipping out a pair of handcuffs and reading him his rights. He doesn't put up any kind of fight as Maggie signals for one of her colleagues to take him away and follows closely behind them.

"Good work, Supergirl," Alex says kindly. "But you have incoming." Alex nods her head in the direction of the stage before turning to walk away.

"No, no, no, Alex!" Kara tries desperately to make her sister stop, the tone of her voice begging for her help.

"You've got this," Alex whispers, flashing Kara a reassuring smile before striding in Maggie's direction.

Crap, Kara thinks.

She knows that Alex has done the right thing. Lena has met Alex quite a few times since the day the earthquake shook the city so her talking to Kara like they know each other could potentially be a big giveaway. Plus, it leaves Alex in an awkward position which Kara knows isn't fair. She also knows that, even though they've always got each other's back, she can't expect Alex to lie for her all the time.

Kara spins on her heels and is greeted by Lena, who offers her a small smile.

Kara can see how conflicted she is, being stood in front of a hero after almost having been killed by someone who was mourning the loss of a loved one.

"Thank you, Supergirl," she says, stopping a couple of feet away from her.

"It's no problem, Miss Luthor." Kara returns Lena's small smile and knows that calling her by her surname is less likely to give away her identity.

Although that's not to say that Kara doesn't want to confess the whole truth to Lena right now. She would love to tell her new friend everything because she hates having to lie to those who are most important to her.

But something stops her.

Something that she can't quite put her finger on.

"I don't know how you knew what was happening, but I owe you my life," Lena says, offering her hand.

Kara frowns, the action seeming strange because she often hugs Lena whenever they meet up or say goodbye. She quickly realises herself and shakes Lena's hand before smiling at her a little forlornly because the day had gone in completely the opposite direction it should have done.

Lena can sense the hint of sadness in Supergirl's sparkling blue eyes but doesn't know exactly why it's there.

"Wait, where's Kara?" Lena suddenly realises that she hasn't seen her friend since she was ushered out of the seating area, hopefully to safety.

"She's safe," Alex says as she and Maggie approach Supergirl and Lena. Alex glances knowingly at Kara, who gives a small nod of thanks when Lena isn't looking. "She's back at CatCo, reluctantly."

"Thank God," Lena sighs, relieved. Then her emotions change from relief to anger. "I can't believe I put her in danger like that."

Kara, Alex and Maggie frown at Lena before Kara speaks.

"You can't blame yourself for what happened. Did you know that that man would be here?"

Lena shakes her head.

"Then stop giving yourself such a hard time. It could have happened to anyone."

Alex looks over at Kara and sees the worry in her sister's eyes. She knows how much Lena has come to mean to Kara, and from Kara's incessant chatter and ramblings about her new friend, Alex knows that Lena doesn't give herself an easy time.

Of course, when Alex learned that Kara was getting closer to Lena, the 'but she's a Luthor' thought did cross her mind. It only took that first movie night and the game night that followed for Alex to see that Lena was nothing like her family, that she had nothing but love and care for Kara and admiration for Supergirl. She deliberately kept her thoughts to herself because she knew that there was nothing for her to worry about. She can see that they're good for each other, that their newfound friendship makes them happy and that makes Alex happy.

She even suspects that there's something more than friendship there, but it's a thought that she kept to herself until Maggie had quietly said exactly what she was thinking after they'd all been to see a movie together.

Right now though, Alex can see how much it's hurting Kara that she can't give her friend the full support she needs, and that upsets Alex too.

"I'll personally drive Lena home," Alex promises Kara, and she sees her sister relax, albeit only slightly.

"There's really no need," Lena says, though right now she doesn't really want to be alone.

"There's every need, Little Luthor. C'mon," Maggie replies, holding out her hand to encourage Lena, who obliges. Maggie wraps a reassuring, comforting arm around her shoulder.

"It was an honour to meet you, Supergirl. I just wish it had been under better circumstances," she says sadly before Maggie begins to guide her away.

Alex turns her attention from Maggie and Lena to Kara and sees longing etched across her face.

"That should be me," Kara almost whispers. "I should be the one helping her through this."

Alex positions herself so that she stands between Kara and Lena and Maggie, so that Kara's attention is focused solely on her.

"You can be, Kara. You will help her through this, just like you help everyone else. You have a heart that keeps others strong, and Lena's going to need someone to hold her up for a while. It's who you are."

Kara takes a moment to soak in Alex's words before nodding. "You're right. I'm gonna go, make sure she's okay."

Alex smiles at Kara, grabbing her hand and giving it a wiggle. "Go get her, Supergirl."

/

Kara wishes that one of her powers was to be able to get Lena to answer her phone. She's called three times in the last fifteen minutes and left five messages and a couple of texts over the last few hours, and they're on top of the visit she had made to L-Corp earlier in the day, only to be told by Jess that Lena had gone home.

Alex and Maggie had assured Kara that Lena had seemed okay when they dropped her off at her penthouse, though they had both strongly suspected that it was a front.

"Lena!" Kara exclaims when she hears the line click.

"Hi, Kara," Lena says quietly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Lena. It's you I'm worried about! Are you okay?" Kara struggles to hide the worry in her voice.

"I guess I'll be okay, I always have to be. I'm so sorry I put you in danger today and I'm so glad that you're safe."

Lena sounds like she's been crying; her voice is a little croaky and unsteady and it makes Kara's heart sink to think that she's going through this alone.

Kara doesn't know what Lena means when she says that she put her in danger, but she doesn't question it right now because she needs to focus on her friend. "You don't have to apologise, Lena. I would have been there no matter what."

Silence hangs between them and that tells Kara everything she needs to know about how Lena is feeling.

"Lena?" Kara hears a sniffle. "Can I come round?"

Lena clears her throat. "Now's actually not a good time. Um, I'm glad you're okay and I'm sorry again. Goodnight, Kara."

There are a thousand things Kara wants to say to keep Lena on the phone, to say things to make everything better, but she knows that Lena wants her space so she simply says, "Uh, yeah. Night, Lena."

The silence that follows the phone call deafens Kara. She shuts her laptop that she's been using to write her report, brushes her teeth, already wearing her pyjamas, and shuffles into her bedroom, slumping dejectedly into her warm bed.

After she makes herself comfortable amongst her pillows and under her snuggly duvet, she finds that she can't sleep. Usually, she seeks out Alex's heartbeat and listens to Maggie's thumping equally as strong next to it because they offer her comfort, but tonight she listens for someone else.

Across the city, Lena lies in bed.

Despite the overwhelming exhaustion that grips her, she can't sleep.

Kara listens to her elevated heartbeat and feels her own accelerate with worry.

But the other sound, the one that overpowers Lena's heart, is the one that really troubles and concerns Kara.

Sobs and whimpers escape into Lena's pillow, and although they're muffled, Kara can hear them more clearly than anything else in the whole city, over all the sirens and music and the wind that tears its way between the skyscrapers.

She has to blink back her own tears when she realises how distraught Lena is and wishes that Lena would let her help, would talk to her about it or let her hold her as she cries.

Worse still, it shatters Kara's heart to know that this almost certainly isn't the first time Lena has cried herself to sleep, and it probably won't be the last.


	4. That's What Best Friends Are For

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A language warning, there are quite a few f-bombs in this one.

"Kara!"

The Kryptonian spins on her heels and sees Jess making her way towards her from the other side of Noonan's. They have begun to see each other fleetingly more and more frequently, usually when Kara visits Lena at work.

"Hey, Jess," Kara replies with a smile, adjusting her glasses as she does so.

"Cat Grant gets her coffee from Noonan's?" Jess sounds surprised. She stands next to Kara and leans against the counter.

"Yep. Y'know, she might as well have it on tap. I spend more time here than I do at the office," Kara jokes, but she's half serious. Most of Noonan's menu has come from crazy ideas Cat has read about being the big new health trend or Gwyneth's next must-have. "What does Lena drink?"

"She has an extra-strong espresso every morning," Jess replies without any hesitation. "And a sticky bun. She says it helps her to start her day off right."

Kara smiles brightly. She loves sticky buns. She loves them almost as much as potstickers. She swings by Noonan's pretty much every morning to get one.

Okay, two.

Sometimes three...

There's no harm in pretending that at least one of them is for Cat, right? No one has to know that she wouldn't touch a sticky bun if it were the last edible thing on Earth.

Jess' revelation about Lena makes Kara smile just as much on the inside as it does out. It's another thing that she has in common with her new best friend.

The same best friend who hasn't been returning her calls or texts since the incident at the hospital two days ago.

Kara may not have known Lena all that long, but she does know that the youngest Luthor is avoiding her, trying to push her away. Kara will be damned if she lets that happen. She values having Lena in her crazy life too much to ever let it and she likes having someone other than Alex whose life is just as mad as hers, even if Lena doesn't know it yet. She's pretty sure that Lena feels the same. At least, she hopes she does.

"How is she?" Kara asks Jess, her tone suddenly a little heavier.

Jess shakes her head. "Honestly, not great. She's been locked away in her office for pretty much the whole of the last two days except for when she held her emergency press conference." Jess hesitates thoughtfully before adding, "I haven't seen her like this for a long time."

Kara sighs, wondering what caused this to happen before. "A lot of damage control, huh?" Her heart sinks when Jess nods lightly.

Lena's muffled crying had kept Kara up for most of the night following the failed unveiling. Even when the CEO had eventually drifted into unconsciousness, her sleep had been restless and fitful and seemingly filled with stifling dreams. She had cried out on more than one occasion and each time Kara had to fight the urge to fly right over there to let her know that everything was going to be okay, that she didn't have to go through it alone.

And in the end she couldn't.

The snug warmth of her bed was no longer of comfort or even noticeable to Kara because all she could focus on was her friend who unfairly tormented herself when she was awake and was plagued by nightmares when she was asleep. Kara understood the bad dreams and knew how much it meant to her to have someone to hold her as she cried because Alex had done that so many times when she first arrived on Earth and plenty times since.

That realisation, and another strangled cry from Lena, was what made up Kara's mind and she had torn out of her bed, leaving her duvet slumped in a heap by her open window.

The night-time breeze had been cold against her permanently warm skin. It took her under three minutes to follow the sound of Lena's elevated heart until she made it to her apartment.

Except apartment was completely the wrong word. Luxury penthouse with the top three floors, a pool and panoramic views of the entire city was more apt, Kara had decided.

She had quickly snapped out of being amazed - she would have been rendered speechless had there been anyone around - and hovered outside the window closest to Lena's bedroom.

The curtains were drawn, though not entirely. Kara supposed it didn't matter being this high up unless a helicopter – or she – flew past. She made sure she was out of view as much as possible should Lena wake up.

Peeping through the crack in the curtains, Kara could see Lena lying slightly on her side, one arm tucked under her body while her other fist had a firm grip on her purple bed sheets. Her duvet only partially covered her legs; it looked like it had been kicked off unknowingly.

It was only when Lena mumbled something incoherent that Kara had realised what she was actually doing.

How could she just turn up at Lena's apartment, despite supposedly not knowing where she lives, at four in the morning and explain that she'd heard her crying from half way across the city?

And she wasn't exactly dressed like Kara Danvers…

Lena had suddenly stirred in her sleep, her clenched fist relieving her bed sheets from her tight grip as she turned onto her stomach, her flushed cheek pressed against her voluminous pillows and her raven hair falling partly over her face.

Kara had listened as Lena's heart returned to its normal sleeping rhythm. The CEO seemed to have finally calmed and drifted into a deep sleep.

Kara waited a few more minutes until she was somewhat satisfied that Lena was okay before making her way back to her apartment, scooping up her discarded duvet, padding heavily across the room and flopping, with a long sigh, back into bed, the once warm sheets cool against her warm skin.

So many feelings had swamped Kara's body and while one that stuck out was frustration at not being able to help Lena, there was another, one that she'd felt before but still couldn't quite put her finger on…

Kara is snapped from her thoughts when the perky Noonan's waitress places two cups and a paper Noonan's bag in front of her on the counter.

"Thanks," she says with kind smile to the waitress before turning back to Jess. "I was actually gonna drop by at lunch to check up on her."

Jess nods like she agrees that it's a good idea. "She has a board meeting until one thirty. I'll keep her schedule free for a couple of hours this afternoon." The waitress passes Jess her order.

"Thank you, Jess. I guess I'll see you later?"

"Sounds like a plan," the other woman says with a nod before saying goodbye and making her way out of the coffee shop.

Kara sighs, still leaning against the counter. She knows that she's got an uphill battle ahead of her but she's never been one to back out of a fight and she's certainly not afraid of Lena Luthor.

At least not that she'll admit to herself and definitely not to anybody else, especially Lena.

And if Lena is anything like Alex, Kara is sure she'll have just thrown herself into her work and neglected to eat very much, which Kara will never be able to understand.

There's only one thing that springs to Kara's mind when she thinks about what makes her feel better when she's down, other than being surrounded by the people she loves; food.

She is standing right in the middle of a coffee shop surrounded by cakes and muffins and other delicious food...

And desperate times call for desperate measures and right now she is feeling pretty desperate.

There's only one thing for it.

"Excuse me," Kara calls to the waitress, adjusting her glasses and letting out a nervous laugh. "I'm gonna need three more sticky buns."

/

Kara steps out of L-Corp's roomy elevator and is met by a thumbs-up from Jess at the other end of the room. The Kryptonian mouths a sincere thank you before raising a closed fist to knock on Lena's office door.

"Come in."

Hearing Lena's voice for the first time in almost three days makes Kara happy. Even though the words are short and uttered as a command, the sweet sound raises a small weight from her shoulders and makes those missing butterflies reappear, although they can't entirely fight the nerves that sit in the pit of her stomach.

Kara pushes the long handle and steps into Lena's office. Mountains of paper and files sit around Lena in neat stacks on her floor. The CEO has her back to the door, her shiny raven hair falling freely down her back as she leans, legs outstretched and skirt pulled over her knees, over a huge file. She doesn't turn to see who has entered, instead tapping her pen against her leg in thought before biting it between her teeth. It stirs something in Kara, in her stomach, in her mind as she takes in Lena's focus and dedication, the way that she looks just sitting there, the way she toys with the pen in her mouth.

Kara can just imagine the frown that pulls at her eyebrows and makes her striking emerald eyes shimmer impossibly more. She's never seen Lena working like this. She's usually sat behind her tidy desk using her computer or in the labs testing out her newest genius invention. Even though there seems be some sort of system that Lena has going, this is unusual for her.

Digging her hands into the pockets of her maroon dress, Kara allows the silence to continue for a few more moments as she tears her attention from Lena and notices a bunch of pretty flowers in a little spherical pot on the coffee table by the couch.

"Those flowers are beautiful."

Lena's head snaps towards the sound of the sweet voice that has stolen her attention and interrupted her train of thought even more than the initial knock on the door.

Much like Kara, Lena relishes hearing that kind voice that has come to mean so much to her. When she takes Kara in, her blonde hair pulled back off her face, half up half down and twisted into bouncy curls, the way that she nibbles at her bottom lip a little, her pretty dress that sits at a respectable height from her knees, her open-toed wedges revealing perfectly-painted nail polish, Lena can't help but break out into a genuine beaming smile; Kara looks effortlessly beautiful.

It's a reaction that takes her a little by surprise, but it feels so natural, completely unforced.

That is, until she remembers the danger she put Kara and so many others in a few days earlier.

The smile drops from Lena's face almost as quickly as it appeared and she turns away from Kara.

The blonde feels her heart sink. She had returned Lena's smile instantly and just as brightly but now it feels like it was all in her head. It had made her happy, made her less concerned about her friend but the sudden change in her demeanour only worries Kara more.

"They're called plumerias," Lena replies normally, flipping through a file. "They're pretty rare."

"They remind me of my mother," Kara says. She takes a few small steps forward but still stands behind Lena. "So, uh, how are you doing?"

Lena takes her pen out of her mouth again. She doesn't want to lie to Kara but if she sees the look on her face as she gives her reply, Kara will know instantly that Lena is playing it down.

Somehow, she always does.

Lena clears her throat a little. "Honestly, I've been better."

Her voice sounds forlorn and tired. She just about manages to keep it steady but even that isn't enough to convince Kara.

"I thought we could have an impromptu second lunch break together over some sticky buns? Jess said that they're your favourite and they're mine too, so…."

Lena knows that she can't keep her back to Kara any longer, especially when she's trying to be so kind. "That's really lovely, but-"

"No buts," Kara cuts Lena off abruptly. "You have to eat. Plus I haven't seen you for two days and you haven't returned any of my calls…"

Lena's remarkable green eyes flit up to Kara's sky blue ones. She's sure she can see worry mingled with a hint of hurt shimmering in them and it saddens her even more knowing that she's the reason Kara feels that way.

"I'm sorry, Kara." Lena's tone is sincere and she has the fight the tears that try to form in her eyes.

"Oh, Lena," Kara coos, placing the sticky bun bag on Lena's table, carefully stepping over a stack of papers and sitting cross-legged opposite her friend. She leans forward and pulls Lena into the tightest hug she can without literally crushing her and she feels her friend relax just a little at her touch, even if her heart does the opposite. "I don't want you to be sorry, I just want you to talk to me." Kara breaks their embrace first but takes Lena's hands in her own. "What's the matter?" Kara's tone is soft and patient and kind and understanding and everything that Lena needs.

The CEO shrugs as she drops her gaze to the floor, though she keeps her hands in Kara's. They're so warm, comforting and a little bigger than hers. "I can't escape it. I can't get away from my name. So many people were endangered because of me the other day, not to mention Alex and Maggie and… And you." Lena sniffles. "He had a gun aimed at your sister and your sister-in-law. I could never forgive myself if anything happened to either of them or to you because of me."

Kara takes a moment to process Lena's admission. It's so self-accusatory and almost loathing and while she had already figured that Lena was probably blaming herself - wrongly - for what had happened, Kara hadn't expected it to be this bad.

"I mean, what would've happened if Supergirl hadn't shown up when she did?" Lena's voice quietens as she leads herself down a new train of thought.

Kara gives her best friend's hand a squeeze to pull her back to reality and moves herself so that she's looking directly into Lena's sparkling eyes again. Lena pulls her bottom lip between her teeth to be absolutely sure that it can't tremble.

"Lena, sweetie, you can't blame yourself. You are not your family's mistakes and yes, what happened to that little boy was incredibly sad, but that wasn't your fault, you have to know that. You were in just as much - no, more danger than any of us there the other day. You need to take a step back and think of yourself once in a while. You're just as important as anybody else." Kara pauses momentarily before offering Lena a small smile and lightly wiggling her arms. "You're important to me."

Kara's words suddenly make Lena's heart flutter in her chest. No one has ever said that to her before. The words sound strange being said to her but at the same time, it feels so right that Kara be the one to say them first. The brunette sniffles again and despite hearing the change in Lena's heart rate, Kara maintains her gaze. It's firm but kind and Lena can see the honesty and truth in Kara's eyes as she continues.

"As for Alex and Maggie, that's their jobs and they're pretty damn good at them too. They know the risks and they choose to take them every day. They would have done anything they could to keep you and me and everyone else safe and if anyone should be blaming themselves, it should be me because I asked them to be there."

Lena nods but Kara can see that she still isn't entirely convinced.

"I'm sorry. I just… I should have seen it coming," the CEO says dejectedly. "It's not like it's the first time someone's tried to kill me. "

"You need to stop apologising for being you. You're amazing and kind and considerate and you would never do anything you thought would hurt anyone. You're Lena fucking Luthor and you are incredible. I wanna hear you say it."

Lena's head snaps up to look at Kara, initially shocked by her language but then rendered speechless by her last remark. "What?"

"You are Lena fucking Luthor and I want to hear you say it."

Lena frowns, raising an incredulous and equally questioning eyebrow. "You're serious?"

"Deadly."

Lena sighs, shrugging her shoulders. "Fine. I'm Lena fucking Luthor."

Kara shakes her head when Lena mumbles quietly like the words don't have any value. "Say it like you mean it."

"C'mon-"

"Nope! Shout it!"

"Kara-"

"I wanna hear those words coming out of your mouth, otherwise I'll eat your sticky bun."

"I'm Lena fucking Luthor!"

"Again! Louder!"

"I'm Lena fucking Luthor!"

"I can't hear you!"

"I'M LENA FUCKING LUTHOR!"

"Okay, okay, I get it, yeesh! There's no need to shout!" Kara teases, giggling uncontrollably upon seeing Lena's oh-no-you-didn't face. Lena can't help but join in when Kara's laughter doesn't cease and suddenly both women feel so much better for being in the company of one another, for having someone to talk to and confide in.

"Here," Kara says between chuckles. She passes Lena the Noonan's bag from the coffee table.

"There are three in here."

Kara nods at Lena's statement like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Two are for me."

Lena snorts as she hands the bag to Kara. "No way. You can't possibly look like that if you eat sticky buns as frequently as you eat pizza and potstickers."

Now it's Kara who snorts. "You'd be surprised."

"Actually, no, I wouldn't. I've seen you on movie night."

Kara smiles and they sit in silence for a moment as they eat their buns. Kara is half way through her second when Lena finishes hers, and that's after Kara shows some restraint. She studies Lena as she places the last piece of her bun into her mouth. She sees the intensity of her green eyes as they flit around the room, the way that she lightly licks her full lips as if savouring every last drop of flavour from her food, the way that she hugs her crossed legs as she sits opposite Kara.

Maggie's words from Lena's first movie night suddenly come flooding back to Kara.

_Little Danvers has a crush on Little Luthor._

_You definitely like her._

It's the first time Kara actually thinks about it properly. She had instantly dismissed Maggie. Kara loves being around Lena and spending time with her. She's never had a best friend before who wasn't Alex and she values her more than Lena could ever imagine. Kara had noticed the way that they'd begun to sit closer and closer together at movie nights. Until the last few days, they'd seen each other pretty much every day either at lunch or at movie or game night. They were learning so many new things about each other, like their joint love of sticky buns and doughnuts and Game of Thrones and NSYNC and it's then that a single question pops into Kara's head.

"Lena?"

Green eyes fix onto blue ones as Kara tears off some of her bun and passes it over to Lena.

"Why did you think that you'd put me in danger? It's not like you asked for me to be at the event."

Lena's chewing slows, her body tenses slightly, her heart thumps just a little harder and she begins to pick at her food. For Kara, though, the guilty look in her best friend's eyes and the cheeky way she pinches her lip between her teeth is what flicks a switch of realisation in her head.

"You _did_ ask for me to be there?"

Lena nods, still chewing her lip. If Kara weren't so confused, it would have made her smile.

Lena loves the crinkle that pulls between Kara's eyebrows as she puts together the remaining pieces of the puzzle. She can see her mind working, her eyes fixed on a spot on the wall. When the look on Kara's face changes again, showing Lena that she's come to a surprising realisation, the CEO can't help but grin.

"You asked for _me_ to be the one to report on the unveiling?"

Kara's voice waivers as she speaks, cracking a little as she says 'me' in disbelief. Lena nods, suddenly worrying about Kara's reaction. She can't tell which way she's going to swing.

But then it's Kara. Even if she were upset with Lena for asking that she be the one to report, she wouldn't say because she's too nice.

"But I'm not a reporter."

That wasn't the response Lena was expecting. She wonders how Kara doesn't know how amazing her piece was, how good she is at writing.

"You could have fooled me." A small complementing smile pulls at Lena's lips and sparkles just as brightly in her eyes.

Kara's face is the picture of shock. Her mouth moves as though to speak but her brain whirs and she can't make any sound come out. When she realises that her attempts to formulate any kind of coherent speech are futile for the moment, she throws her hands out to her sides and shakes her head in astonishment. Lena smiles encouragingly, waiting patiently for her friend to collect herself.

"How did you know?" Kara eventually manages, her voice barely a whisper.

Lena barely hesitates in her response. "During our first movie night, you left your reporter's notebook on your coffee table. When you went to get your-" Lena counts on her fingers as she tries to recall back to that night. "Sixth slice of pizza, I may or may not have read a little. Alex told me that you'd always been such a talented writer but had never taken the leap into finding a career to use it."

Kara processes Lena's admission. "So you took it for me."

Lena can hear that Kara isn't asking a question. The whole things suddenly seems like it was a bad idea. She shouldn't have meddled in Kara's business. She should have just talked to her about it like a normal friend would. Maybe she should have just left it altogether. She anxiously pulls her lip between her teeth again, her green eyes suddenly cloudy.

"Thank you."

Now Lena is the one rendered speechless. Kara isn't mad and that thought and those two simple words send relief flooding through her body. She lets out a little nervous laugh.

"You knew that I'd be a good reporter just from reading my notepad. Alex always knew and believed in me. Miss Grant knew from the day I met her. So why didn't I?" Kara's eyes blink rapidly as her brain wraps its head around how she had been so blind to something everyone else could see.

"You've a natural gift with words. The article is amazing. I knew you'd make a great reporter. You just needed a little push in the right direction and a bit of self-belief. And," Lena grins cheekily, "I was right. You're amazing, Kara."

"Oh yeah?" Kara raises a cheeky eyebrow right back.

"Yeah." Out of nowhere, Lena feels her cheeks flushing so she quickly casts her gaze down to the ground in an effort to hide it. It's futile because Kara notices and would have blushed if she could. "Your article may just have saved the new wing. You made people see that it's not just a place with links to the Luthor name. You gave people a new perspective. So, are you going to carry on writing?"

That's exactly how Kara wanted people to view her article, but it means even more that Lena loved it and that it has helped to maintain a more positive approach towards the hospital. "As a matter of fact," she begins, changing her sitting position because even she gets numb feet if she sits in one position for too long. "Miss Grant has promoted me."

"Kara, that's amazing!" Lena exclaims, a beaming smile erupting across her features. She feels her heart swell with pride. "Congratulations!" She leans over to her friend and pulls her into a long hug. It's the exact opposite of the one they shared earlier. That was one for comfort and reassurance that everything would be okay. This one is full of pride and excitement for the huge step that Kara has taken and what the future holds.

"Thank you," Kara says again, wrapping her arms around Lena's back. Both women feel the butterflies flurrying like crazy in their stomach, though both put it down to the excitement of the moment and Kara's fantastic news. "She actually gave me my own office too. I have my own office!" Kara giggles upon realising – again – that she has her own office and the soft laugh that escapes her lips that aren't too far from Lena's ear is more than enough to have the CEO giggling with her.

They eventually break apart from their embrace and Kara takes a long deep breath. "Can I ask you one more thing?"

"Anything," Lena says without hesitation, suddenly more serious because Kara is.

Kara finds herself taking Lena's hands again. "Just promise you won't push me away again? And stop giving yourself such a hard time." Kara's voice is quiet and soft.

"Hmmm," Lena hums, removing one hand from Kara's and placing it on her chin to mock even having to think about it. "Well, that's two things."

"The second one was actually a demand, not a question."

"Oh. Well, either way, it's an offer I absolutely can't refuse." Lena offers her hand to Kara like she would when closing a business deal. Kara takes it, grips it tightly and shakes it. Then Lena begins to wiggle it overenthusiastically, which leaves Kara the captive of another fit of giggles.

"Y'know, that's exactly what Supergirl said to me, about giving myself a hard time," Lena says, a small frown appearing on her face as she thinks back to her meeting with the hero. She had been even more incredible than Lena had expected.

"Really?" Kara says, lightly feigning surprise. She tries her best to be nonchalant. "And I guess we're both right."

They sit in silence for a few moments as the golden sunlight pours through Lena's sparking windows. Kara studies the piles of paper and stacks of files that encircle them both, astounded by the amount of work Lena has.

"Listen, I know you're incredibly busy," Kara says, gesturing around them to show that no further explanation is necessary. "And while this work fort you've got going here is really impressive, pillow forts are much more fun and way cooler. Why don't you come to my apartment tonight and we can bury ourselves under cushions and watch a movie or something to celebrate?"

Lena pulls her lip between her teeth in consideration. It's not that she doesn't want to go to Kara's, far from it, and she wants to celebrate her best friend's amazing achievement, but she does have a lot of work to do and was planning on staying late.

"There will be celebration doughnuts."

That just about makes up Lena's mind for her, though the thought of spending the evening with Kara was more than enough anyway.

_I'm Lena fucking Luthor,_ she thinks. _And I can do whatever the hell I want. Work can wait._

"I'd love that." Lena genuinely means it. She can feel all of the tension from the last few days slipping away, being buried deeper and deeper under the excitement of the prospect of spending time with Kara again. She's missed having her around, even though it was her self-exile that meant that she wasn't.

"Great!" Kara exclaims. She checks her watch and her eyes widen when she sees the time. She scurries to stand up, careful not to knock over any of Lena's paper towers. "Crap! I have to get back. Miss Grant wants me to interview people for my replacement. She's very picky."

Lena stands too and smoothes out her skirt. Kara steps out of the work circle, but not before pulling Lena in for another hug.

"See you at seven?"

"It's a date."

Both women hesitate at Lena's choice of words. They send those already-fluttering butterflies in each of their stomachs wild. Both Kara and Lena can sense the change in the air between them, but Lena doesn't correct herself and Kara doesn't try to either.

"Oh, and Kara?" Lena says when the blonde is almost out the door.

She stops and turns to look at Lena.

"Thank you. Thank you for coming over here and talking some sense into me and making me listen. I've never had someone like you in my life before and it really means a lot. You mean a lot to me too."

Kara smiles and if she could blush, she would.

Again.

She looks into Lena's eyes, sees the honesty in them, the way that her eyebrows arch as she speaks.

Kara smiles wider. "That's what best friends are for."


	5. Surprise, Surprise!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just the one use of bad language.

Lena could tell that something was wrong with Kara the moment she walked into the restaurant. Sure, she was dressed in her usual cute preppy dress with flats and a cardigan, her wavy blonde hair pulled back into a neat braid, but Lena could see that her shoulders were slumped just a little and her walk lacked its usual purpose and confidence.

At first, Lena had decided not to question Kara about it, figuring that if her friend wanted to talk about whatever was clearly bothering her – at least, it was clear to Lena – she would, in her own time.

So Lena kept the topic of conversation light; they talked about the movies they had watched the night before and how busy Lena's schedule was and how that big circle of work was still piled high on her office floor. Or rather, Lena talked and Kara bobbed her head and occasionally hummed in agreement or acknowledgement, rarely even stringing a few words together.

It was the total opposite of how Kara had been the night before at their celebration-slash-movie night. When Kara had arrived home from working later than she expected at CatCo, she had been so lost in her own thoughts and excitement at spending the evening with Lena that she hadn't heard the hushed voices and giggles coming from her apartment, even as she slipped her key into her door. A huge smile lit up her entire face when she heard the off-key symphony of party blowers squealing hilariously out of time with one another, accompanied by a series of pops as blue and yellow and green streamers surged through the air, creating a beautiful paper rainbow before the streaks that didn't land on her fluttered to the floor.

"CONGRATULATIONS KARA!" Alex, Maggie and Lena shouted in unison before she found herself engulfed by hugs. Between the three of them, they actually managed to squash her just enough that she understood how they felt when she hugged them a little too over-enthusiastically.

"You guys!" Kara squeaked as she looked at the table full of her favourite foods; pizza, potstickers, chocolate cake, tiramisu – that was obviously Maggie's doing – and stack after stack of the biggest assortment of doughnuts she'd ever seen. For once, she was almost speechless. "Thank you!"

"Hey, don't thank us," Alex said, pointing between her and Maggie, who nodded in agreement with her wife. "This was all Lena."

"And it would seem that Little Luthor knows you well," Maggie added, gesturing to the food.

Kara's sky blue eyes sought out Lena's striking jade ones. When they finally fixed on to each other, Kara couldn't help but smile even wider. She had felt her heart flutter a little, something she had put down to getting swept up in the excitement of the moment because she wasn't expecting any of this. She immediately held her arms out to her best friend and Lena responded by walking into them and wrapping her own around Kara's back. Kara's heart thrummed even harder as Lena's raven hair tickled her face and her expensive floral perfume floated in the air around them, leaving the happiness growing in Kara's stomach feeling even sweeter.

After Alex set some music playing in the background, everyone grabbed some food and a glass of wine. Maggie cut herself a slice of tiramisu so big even Kara wasn't sure she'd have managed it. They all lounged around on Kara's couch, each of them wearing a pointy party hat despite Maggie's initial protests when Alex pinged the elastic under her chin, and soon found themselves chuckling along to The Heat.

Kara, being Kara, laughed so hard when Melissa McCarthy's character threw the box of Tic Tacs at her Captain's head that she snorted, prematurely swallowed the potsticker she was happily munching on, started to splutter and then choke. Alex had to smack her back so hard to get it to come back up she almost broke her fingers every time they came into violent contact with Kara's virtually unbreakable body. After taking a few gasping breaths to steady herself, Kara only began to laugh more until she couldn't even stand. Lena and Maggie had watched the whole thing, completely shocked, and Lena was actually starting to panic for her friend, but watching her literally roll around on the floor in fits of laughter, she felt her worry begin to ebb away and couldn't help but laugh herself. Kara's adorable giggle was way too contagious so she didn't even try to stop; she'd found out herself the hard way that it was borderline impossible.

Of course, Alex and Maggie couldn't help but make cheeky remarks aimed at one another about the feds and the cops for the whole duration of the movie, which left Kara and Lena in stitches as their insults got less serious, more hilarious and outright ridiculous. That was, until Sandra Bullock took a knife to her thigh. Then they turned soppy. Briefly.

"I'd take a knife to the thigh for you any day, babe," Alex had said softly, seriously to Maggie.

Maggie felt her cheeks redden a little. "Aww, babe," she cooed, tilting her head, her dimples taking over her face as she smiled genuinely. "I know you would."

At that point, Kara had turned to Lena, a naughty glint in her eye, and begun to make vomit noises, which prompted giggles from a slightly tipsy Lena and a push in the back from Maggie.

"You know I would?" Alex spluttered, ignoring Kara and Lena, instead raising her eyebrows at the detective. "I'm your wife! That's where you're supposed to say, 'I'd take one for you too.' What the hell happened to 'ride or die'?" She folded her arms in a mock huff and slumped into the couch, but not before she yanked at Maggie's yellow party hat, its elastic strap pinging it forcefully straight back onto her head and ruffling her long hair.

"Listen, Danvers," Maggie said warningly, tugging Alex's blue hat and smirking as it flung back to the middle of her forehead. "I can't afford to take a knife to my leg. They're little enough as it is." She stretched them out as if to demonstrate and neither Alex, Kara nor Lena could stop themselves from chuckling when her tiptoes just about brushed the edge of Kara's coffee table as she wiggled them.

"True," Alex agreed with a shrug before pulling Maggie into her side and placing a kiss in her hair.

Kara offered Lena a huge grin to show her what a good night she was having, how much she valued spending time laughing and joking with her and Alex and Maggie before pulling her in for their third big hug of the night.

By the time Alex and Maggie decided to call it a night, it hurt Kara to laugh. Although it felt like the weight of her daily life – saving the city, making sure she transferred all her stuff from her desk outside Cat's office to her own and talking her best friend round – had been lifted from her shoulders, it still felt like something was squeezing her chest every time she inhaled just a little too sharply. Still, it was a great feeling, even if did get worse as she tried not to giggle at Alex and Maggie's continued bickering as they made their way back to their apartment.

Lena had liked the way that Kara's face would light up randomly as if she were remembering something, thought it was cute, and she was happy that her friend was happy. She almost missed the target as she poured another glass of wine when a shocked 'Oh my Rao' yelled from the couch caught her off guard.

"What is it?" Lena had asked, setting the bottle back on the counter.

"Oh, it's, uh… Sun Dogs is out on Netflix and I just… I just remembered," Kara bumbled, glad that she couldn't blush in embarrassment. Although she was genuinely pleased that the movie was out – she'd been looking forward to it for ages – she had been listening to Alex and Maggie as they returned to their apartment when the door slammed closed and their teasing turned into… Something else. Something she really didn't want or need to hear.

Lena accepted Kara's explanation and handed her a plate full of doughnuts for them to share. Kara felt her heart sink at lying to Lena but the CEO started talking to her before she could dwell on it too much.

"So, your office," Lena had begun before taking a sip of her wine, her right eyebrow rising questioningly. "What's it like?"

Kara chewed away at her doughnut and gestured at Lena that her mouth was too full to answer. She eventually gulped down the last of it and threw her arms out like she didn't really know what to say. "It's pretty small… Like, tiny, really tiny. It doesn't have a window and I'm pretty sure it's right next to the bathroom... It's a shoebox. I'm gonna be working in a shoe box. It's basically the exact opposite of your office." Kara paused for a moment, completely lost in her own thoughts until she smiled brightly at Lena. "But it's mine and I'll make it mine and I love it."

Kara's rambling response made a smile dance across Lena's face. She studied the blonde with intense green eyes and saw that she was proud of her 'shoebox', as she called it, and so she should be. Lena was proud of her too. "Pfft, windows are so overrated," she muttered, her eyes widening to emphasise the exaggeration of her words. "You've had half your Working Girl moment. If you prove yourself as I journalist the way I know you will, you'll have that window in no time."

Kara smiled genuinely and tore her sparkling blue eyes away from Lena, casting them to the ground and adjusting her glasses. She had suddenly felt self-conscious, though not in a bad way. It could never be in a bad way with Lena because the CEO was always so kind and complimentary about her. "Y'know, for someone who doesn't have enough belief in herself, you're pretty good at dishing it out to others."

Lena bit her lip the way Kara knew she would. There was something about the way she did it that made Kara feel like she was being teased, even if that wasn't Lena's intention. And those eyebrows… Rao, those eyebrows had a mind of their own. To Kara, it was like they were toying with her, messing with her to see how she would react. Whether they were sneaking up Lena's forehead or creasing impossibly close together, it didn't matter because they always made her breath catch in her throat and her heart skip a beat.

The air between them had suddenly changed; both women could sense it. Neither of them knew what it was and could only directly put it down to not being able to accept compliments, but something told both of them that there was someth ing else to it, something more. It felt like the longer they tried to figure it out in their own minds, the further they got from the answer.

Kara was the first to break the silence, unable to stand it any longer. "Wanna bury ourselves under cushions and pillows?" It was the first thing that popped into her head and the words flew out of her mouth faster than she could even think about stopping them. Still, it was less awkward than the silence they were drowning under.

Lena nodded like it was the best idea she'd ever heard. "I'll get the popcorn."

Surrounded by a mass of fluffy pillows, Kara and Lena settled in to watch Sun Dogs. A little over half an hour in, Kara could feel the stress-turned-excitement of the day creeping up on her. She shifted a pillow that was wedged under her arm so that it rested against Lena's side. The CEO did a double take when she felt the pillow being pushed against her, swiftly followed by an unexpected weight bearing down on her arm.

Kara didn't think anything of her actions; she was so used to cuddling up to Alex and Maggie during movie nights that it was normal to her. She liked burrowing into Alex's side when she was tired because it was something she'd always done since she's arrived on Earth; Alex was her constant, her safe place, her favourite person.

Kara cuddling up to Lena meant that she had become more comfortable around her friend than she'd ever realised; it didn't feel unusual or weird to her. She had shuffled around on the couch out of habit; it was almost her routine, just a normal, small thing she always did.

But not with Lena.

It was so ordinary to Kara that she never even broke her attention from the TV screen. She was so engrossed in the movie that she was completely oblivious to the inner struggle Lena was having with herself, the conflict of emotions Kara herself had caused just from that small act.

Though Kara couldn't see her, Lena had found herself smiling inadvertently at the mass of blonde hair beside her. The more she watched Kara wriggle and make herself comfortable, though, the faster Lena's heart began to thump in her chest and the smaller her smile became until a slight frown tugged at her eyebrows. She felt her whole body tense, but if Kara noticed, she didn't say anything.

She doesn't know exactly why she reacted that way; none of it was deliberate and it certainly wasn't because Kara had done something wrong. She let out a deep breath she didn't even realise she was holding to steady herself.

As much as she tried to focus on the film, which she had been really enjoying but had now missed too much of to fully follow anyway, she couldn't suppress the whirlwind of thoughts that circled like vultures in her mind.

_She's getting comfortable, what's wrong with you?_

_You were just grinning at the back of her head like a crazy person, you know that, right?_

_Her hair is so soft and wavy, though. It always looks so pretty no matter how she wears it._

_And she smells amazing._

_You're doing it again. It's a good job she can't see you._

_Relax, Lena._

_Focus on the film._

_It's just Kara…_

But was she 'just' Kara?

Lena's leg burned where Kara's hair tickled it. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't smother that light tingly feeling that had taken residence in her stomach. She felt her cheeks flush even though Kara was completely oblivious to the flurry of emotions that were flooding her body. She couldn't stop herself from chewing lightly on her lip as she pondered the question.

It wasn't the first time Lena had felt like this.

That was the feeling she got when she liked someone. _Liked them_ , liked them. She'd only felt this twice before, once for a woman, but she knew exactly what it meant the previous two times.

Did she like Kara?

Maybe she had all those feelings because she's never had a friend like her before. She'd never really had a true friend, period.

Maybe it was the wine. She certainly wasn't drunk, but she did feel a little floaty.

Maybe it was that she's not 'just Kara', nor will she ever be.

A sudden movement out of the corner of her eyes snatches Lena's attention and she shakes away her thoughts, putting them down to nothing more than wine and high spirits. Kara's arm shots upright and her hand did that grabby thing little kids do when they want something.

Popcorn! She wants the popcorn!

Lena handed it over without saying a word, afraid that her voice would give away the silent conversation she'd been having.

When the film finished, Lena excused herself to go to the bathroom. She laughed when Kara moaned about being comfy and found herself smiling again when she glanced back at the couch and found that she could barely see her under the pillows and cushions.

Still, Lena was calm by the time she closed the bathroom door behind her.

When she emerged shortly after, she plopped back down on the couch and was once again swallowed whole by pillows. For the rest of the night and into the early hours of the morning, Kara and Lena talked and talked and talked. Lena realised again that this must be what having a best friend was like, what having a sleepover was like, even though she technically wasn't doing the sleeping part. Sure, she had been to boarding school but it wasn't the same, not even close.

Kara did nothing but smile the whole time, whether she was talking animatedly about work or food or puppies or food or movies or food, or was listening intently to Lena. It was so bright, so sweet, so warm, so genuine. When Lena called it a night – begrudgingly because she never wanted it to end and had actually been dreading it coming so much that she'd stayed longer than planned, something she'd never done before – she carried Kara's smile home with her. Seeing someone so genuinely happy made Lena happy, but Kara had been especially puppy-like from the moment she stepped into her apartment and seeing her especially like that made Lena feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. For the whole journey back to her penthouse and even as she slipped into bed, Kara's smile was at the forefront of Lena's mind; every train of thought lead back to Kara.

Though looking at her now, Lena thinks that maybe she did actually take it with her. The softness of Kara's features has vanished; her crinkle seems to have been softly creased into her forehead, her lips turn down just a little at the corners and her sky blue eyes lack their usual sparkle and focus.

Lena was only partly right when she thought that this was the total opposite of how Kara had been before, because now she realises that this is the total opposite of how Kara has been, ever.

By far the biggest sign of all that something was bothering Kara was the way that she pushed her food around her plate with her fork.

Kara was not a pusher. She was never one to play with her food. Lena hadn't known her all that long but that was something she learned almost immediately. Kara inhaled it far too quickly for it to even have had the opportunity to cool down.

Watching Kara toy with her food was like losing to Lex at Chess; incredibly rare and quite disconcerting. (Once Lena learned to play, she barely ever lost a game against her brother and it came as a surprise whenever she did).

"Y'know, you're gonna make that pasta dizzy if you keep swirling it around like that," Lena mutters after a long silence. "Isn't that how black holes start?"

It wasn't a particularly funny joke – it wasn't funny at all but Lena couldn't think of anything else to say – but Kara was always polite enough to laugh. Kara's downturned lips managed to form the smallest of smiles, but when it didn't meet her eyes like it always did, Lena knew she had to ask her what was going on.

Fuck giving her time, something was glaringly wrong with her and Lena wanted to help. And she's sure that Kara wouldn't feel like she was meddling. Kara had forced her to talk when she felt down and she found herself grateful for it, so she's pretty sure Kara would too.

"Penny for your thoughts," Lena says softly, her eyes searching Kara's. They're the purest blue she thinks she's ever seen. Beautiful. Captivating.

Kara drops her gaze as she lets out a long sigh. She shakes her head and her shoulders rise as she opens her mouth to answer, realising that she's barely said a word all lunch. "Miss Grant is selling CatCo and I guess… I guess everything's changing so fast." It feels good to finally get it off her chest; she hadn't realised how heavy it was weighing down on her. "I do not do well with change."

Lena rests the palm of her hand atop Kara's without hesitation. She's never been big on affection but she knows that Kara is, so she thinks it seems right to offer her reassurance in the way she finds most comforting, and this feels natural too. Kara's hand is warm beneath hers as she holds it firmly, but not too tight. "It's perfectly normal to feel that way and it's okay for you to take a deep breath to give everything time to sink in and become your new normal." Lena was talking figuratively, of course, but she didn't know that Kara's life had been anything but normal. She has a burning secret that she's been desperate to tell Kara for a few days but she knows she can't say anything just yet, hard as it is.

Kara nods slowly, biting her lip. "I know you're right, but I'm still going to miss Miss Grant. I mean, yeah, she could be bossy and rude and short and so demanding you would _not_ believe, but beneath that prickly exterior, she was the best boss I could have asked for. I really can't imagine being there without her."

The general hum of the restaurant carries around them as neither woman speaks for a moment. Lena realises that her hand is still over Kara's and quickly retracts it, unsure of what to do with it at first before consciously picking up her fork for want of a better thing to do. She knows that their conversation is more important than food, though, and puts her cutlery down to show that she's finished eating but is ready to listen to Kara.

Kara feels cool air tickle her hand where Lena was just holding it. The particularly warm patch of skin tingles and she can feel the place where Lena was stroking it softly with her thumb. They've never done anything beyond hug before, but this… This was different to a hug. Good different-

"I completely understand you not liking change; I often don't either, but don't you think that this could be a really good thing for CatCo and for you?" Lena's voice is gentle, though it's the only one Kara chooses to hear, and she's completely lost her train of thought now. "Whoever buys the business could come in and do a good job. I'm sure they'll be no Cat, especially not at first, but with the right support, CatCo will likely go from strength."

Lena can see that Kara isn't picking up on any of the subtle hints she's dropping. She's trying to sow the seed but it doesn't seem to be growing in Kara's clouded mind.

Lena is buying CatCo.

She wants to be the one to do all the things she just promised Kara. She wants to take CatCo to new heights and she certainly doesn't want that slime ball Morgan Edge getting his filthy hands on it.

Despite what the media are sure to say when the news breaks, she doesn't want to be the next Cat Grant. She wants to be her own 'Queen of all media', to do things her way, to prove to everyone that she's more than just a girl who happened to be born into a wealthy family, that she is a capable businesswoman who is worth taking seriously.

She's incredibly excited to be taking that step and even more excited at the thought of getting to see her best friend every day. Kara is a good person to have on her side and it'll be nice to know someone at CatCo when she eventually starts working there, which shouldn't be too long.

"Did you find a replacement?" She asks.

"For Cat?" Kara's eyes widen a little at the thought of her being allowed to choose her boss' replacement. She couldn't even choose between two puppies at the shelter, never mind the next face of all media.

"No, silly," Lena says lightly, "for you! The new boss is definitely going to need someone as good as you to ease them in."

Kara brightens a little at that, Lena's kind words breaking through the disappointment and the sense of loss she feels for Cat's departure. "Yes. Eve is lovely, very sweet, although Miss Grant was not impressed when she didn't get her coffee order right this morning." Kara pulls her face to imply just how badly it had gone and it lifts Lena to see Kara finding her voice again. "I just hope she makes it to the end of the day."

Lena chuckles, knowing exactly how Cat can be despite only having met her on a handful of occasions. The woman immediately left a strong impression on Lena. The young CEO admires her aptitude for business, the way she speaks her mind and allows her magazine to do the same. The air changes when she walks into a room – not in a sour, 'look, it's a Luthor' way like when Lena walks into a room, although that thankfully seems to be getting better recently – and she commands attention and respect and is clearly incredibly powerful.

Lena wants to harness the power she has, the power she is sure to have when she buys CatCo, and use it for good, to provide the world with honest, unbiased and relevant news. And to do that, she'll need CatCo's newest reporter on her side.

"So, do you know who's taking over CatCo?" Lena probes half innocently. She puts on her best nonchalant face, at least she thinks she does, but her burning green eyes give her away. Well, they would if Kara was paying enough attention.

"James is going to be running it for now. I've heard a few names being tossed around but none of them seem to stick. None of them are Cat."

Lena feels her heart sink at Kara's disappointment. She doesn't want to be a disappointment. She's spent far too long feeling like she's not good enough in her own family, although she'd rather be a disappointment than a murderer. Kara doesn't add anything else, which tells Lena her name isn't one of those that's been thrown in the mix. And that's just how she wants it.

The waitress clears their plates and Lena orders two coffees, an extra shot of espresso in each.

"I just hope that whoever comes along knows what they're doing."

_So do I_ , Lena thinks taking a sip of her coffee the second the waitress places it in front of her.

"Anyway, how are you doing with all that paperwork on your floor?" Kara asks, turning the conversation away from CatCo. At least she thinks she is.

She doesn't hear Lena's response, though. The sound of sirens shrieking across the other side of the city has all her attention until her phone rings in her bag.

"It's Alex," she says by way of explanation and Lena nods her understanding. "Okay, I'm on my way," she tells her sister before immediately hanging up the call.

Kara flashes Lena her best apologetic smile as she stuffs her phone back into her bag. "I'm sorry, I have to go," she says quickly, scooping up her cardigan and searching through her bag for her purse.

"Of course." Lena can't hide her disappointment, can't stop it from falling over her face. She suddenly feels selfish when she realises that something serious must be happening for her to react like this. "Is Alex okay? And Maggie?"

"Oh," Kara begins. She hadn't realised how strange it must seem to Lena for her to be rushing away so suddenly without so much as an explanation. She's quick to reassure her. "They're fine. I just- I have to go." Kara finds her purse and fumbles to pull it out from under her notebook and keys and all the other stuff that clutters her bag.

Lena watches, still a little taken aback by the whole situation. "Don't worry about the money, Kara."

"But-" Kara's protests are cut short.

"No." Lena's voice is firm. She's had enough practice using it at L-Corp and she's sure she'll need it even more at CatCo. "Go."

Kara reluctantly drops her purse back into her bag. "Thank you. I'm sorry again. Text you later," she rambles.

Lena offers her a sincere smile, which drops slowly from her face as she watches her friend walk away. Her eyes stay fixed on the door and her mind wanders, ruminating over what Alex could possibly need her for so urgently. She's so lost in her own little world that she almost doesn't hear the gasps and mutterings coming from almost every table around her.

"Look, it's Supergirl!" A little kid a few tables away shouts.

Anyone who hadn't noticed certainly did now, Lena included. She looks out of the window to her left and sees a blur of blue and red before it zips quickly out of view.

Like everyone else in the restaurant, she smiles.

/

Alex watches her sister stroll into the DEO only twenty minutes after she called her. "That has to be some kind of record." When Kara doesn't react in her usual bubbly way, Alex knows immediately that something is bothering her. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Kara frowns as she leans against the central table. She knows that Alex isn't talking about the fire that had broken out in a building downtown anymore. She rests her chin in her open palm and lets out a long sigh, looking a bit forlorn.

"I just feel like so much is happening right now and I'm scared of getting left behind." She hesitates for a moment as she collects her thoughts, Alex's comforting brown eyes looking into her own. "I know I've got my new job but it turns out I might not be any good at it because Snapper keeps yelling at me, Cat's leaving and I have no idea who's replacing her and I've just abandoned Lena in a restaurant on her own without being able to offer her an explanation. What am I gonna tell her?"

Alex makes her way around the table and puts a reassuring hand on her sister's shoulder. While Kara is by far the more open of the two of them, Alex knows that she still sometimes bottles things up and lets them eat away at her. What she isn't good at is hiding it and Alex always makes her talk about it because that's exactly what Kara does for her, even if she doesn't want it at the time. There's more to being sisters than having each other's backs when they're saving the world.

"Okay, let's take this one thing at a time. Snapper sounds like an ass." This draws a chuckle from Kara, who enjoys her older sister's blunt truthfulness and had grumbled about her new boss at lunch on her first day as a reporter. "But I don't think he'd yell if he didn't care. Him shouting probably just means that he wants you to do better because he knows you're capable of it and wants to see you succeed. It's just his funny way of showing it. And as for Cat… You don't like Cat." Alex is very matter-of-fact in her statement.

"I do like Cat!" Kara insists, straightening up but still leaning against the table. "She's just… An acquired taste."

Alex raises her left eyebrow half sceptically, half in amusement. She's listened to Kara moan about her former boss on more occasions than she'll ever be able to count, but she does know how much she valued working for and learning from her. "Cat knows what she's doing. She wouldn't sell everything she's worked so hard to build to just anyone. And who knows… It could be a good thing."

Kara sees the sense in Alex's logic and finds that it puts that part of her mind at ease, just like Lena did. Cat certainly won't want to see her empire fall, even if she isn't at the helm.

"That's exactly what Lena said."

"And Lena is a very smart woman. You'd do well to listen to her. And I'm always right, so you should listen to me too." Alex bobs her shoulders and then throws her arms out to exaggerate her point.

"Oh yeah?" Kara jibes back. Her face erupts into a grin at her sister's mock-conceited attitude.

"Yeah," she jokes, her tone making it sound like she's saying 'duh!'. Of the three problems that are bothering Kara, Alex is pretty sure that the third one is the one that's playing on her mind the most. She sensed the unasked question in the last part of her admission and makes sure she addresses it properly. "You should tell Lena whatever you're ready to tell her. She's your friend, it's your secret and, yes, you always need to be careful about revealing it, but what you do with it is ultimately your decision."

Kara doesn't know what to say to that. She doesn't know whether Alex's answer was what she wanted – or needed – to hear or exactly what she's going to tell Lena, so she opts to just stay quiet.

/

Kara doesn't notice James as she walks past the horde of desks that sit outside Cat's – soon to be James' – office, completely engrossed in her notes in her notebook as she makes her way to Snapper's office. She crashes into him and immediately issues her apologies.

"No sweat," he says with a kind smile. "What's got you so gripped?"

Kara shrugs with a smile of her own. She smoothes out the now-crumpled sheets. "Just some stuff for a small feature Snapper begrudgingly gave me. What're you still doing here?" It's pretty late but there are of course a few people dotted around the office and Cat sits proudly in hers because, as she always says, the news never sleeps and she's not out of the door just yet.

"Uh, just waiting to meet the new boss. I'll be running things for a couple of weeks from Monday and then it'll all be handed over to her."

Kara detects the hint of distaste and something that almost sounds like disapproval laced in his voice. She's shocked and can't help but think that it's because they're going to have another woman running the show. She's never had James pegged as a sexist and it doesn't make any sense anyway because CatCo has always been run by a woman for whom he has a lot of respect. "Her?"

James nods but doesn't offer anything else so Kara awkwardly makes her excuses about getting her article to Snapper and starts to stride towards his office once again. All her focus back on her notebook as she flips through the pages, she barely makes it five steps before she just about manages to stop herself from smacking into somebody else.

"Excuse me," she mumbles half in apology and half in embarrassment at almost having done the same thing twice in two minutes, not that this person would know that. It's only as she takes a small step backwards that she glances up and does a double take when she sees familiar raven hair scraped back into a tidy bun and remarkable green eyes looking back at her.

"Lena?" Kara can't keep the smile from taking over her face, replacing the frown of focus that had found its way back there.

"She says with surprise in her voice for some reason?" Lena mock frowns but the light creases of amusement at the corners of her eyes give her away.

Kara wants to speak but, as she takes in Lena, she suddenly finds that the words get stuck in her throat and are suppressed deeper and deeper from the surface by a jittery feeling that overwhelms her.

The CEO exudes power in her magenta coat that sits open, revealing her likely expensive black suit underneath. Her lipstick is a softer shade of pink than her coat but compliments it perfectly, making her already-full lips pop out even more against her pale skin. But her eyes… Lena's eyes never break contact with hers as she waits for Kara to say something, an intensity Kara's never seen before burning deep within them.

"Surprise visit to CatCo?" The reporter manages, the words leaving her mouth before she can even give them too much thought. Her mind isn't working properly anymore, anyway, as much as she wishes it would.

"I guess you could say that," comes Lena's wry response.

It's at that moment that Kara realises she hasn't messaged Lena like she promised she would and she feels a stab of guilt slice through her for the second time that day. "Ooooh, my… God, I was supposed to text you! I'm so sorry! There's just a lot going on." An understatement, Kara knows, and the crappiest excuse of an apology ever, but she still hasn't figured out what she's going to tell Lena. "Alex and Maggie are honestly fine and-"

The brunette waves away Kara's apology. "There's no need to explain. I'm glad everything's okay."

Kara knows that there really is a need to explain, but an interruption stops her and the moment passes.

"Miss Luthor."

The sound of James' voice catches Kara off guard. She twists to look at him as he approaches and notes that his face has hardened into an unreadable expression.

"Mr Olsen," Lena replies, offering her hand to him. He returns the gesture, as much as he doesn't want to.

"Miss Grant will be ready for you in a moment," he states.

"Thank you. My colleague will be with us shortly."

Kara feels like she's intruding on a private conversation, stuck between the both of them, her head pinging back and forth whenever one of them speaks. Kara can't help but wonder what she's missing, what information she's not privy to, not that it's any of her business. Still, she can't contain her desire to ask.

"You're meeting Miss Grant?"

"Yeah."

"Why would you-"

It suddenly makes sense to Kara. All the positive stuff Lena was saying about CatCo's new owner, her obvious increase in interest in the company that Kara had picked up on over the last couple of weeks and the fact that there was always the latest copy of the magazine sitting on her coffee table in her L-Corp office. James' tone makes sense now too, at least somewhat. He didn't have an issue with the new chief being a woman at all; after his history with Clark and Lex, he borderline despises the Luthors. Kara can't help but feel a twinge of irritation at the thought of James disliking Lena because of her surname. He's making assumptions that are unjustified and unfair because Lena is nothing like her family. Kara makes sure to tell any doubters that, because it's true.

She doesn't let that detract from the realisation – the amazing one – that she's just come to.

Her mouths opens and closes like a goldfish's, initially too shocked to speak, until the words finally come out. "You're buying CatCo?"

"Yeah!" Lena tries to deduce Kara's feelings about it from her face but can't. "Is that okay?"

"What?" Kara's surprise continues to grow by the second. Lena Luthor – her best friend – is buying CatCo and is genuinely asking her whether it's okay. "Of course! Why wouldn't it be okay? It's so exciting! How long have you known? And what about L-Corp?" Kara squeals as she rambles excitedly.

The relief coupled with Kara's adorable reaction settles the nerves that have been rippling through Lena for the last week or so. She knew that Cat was leaving before Kara did but couldn't say anything and had agreed most of the deal already; tonight is the finalisation of the takeover before it's officially announced tomorrow.

"We agreed terms a couple of days ago. That forest in my office yesterday… That was all CatCo stuff. There are just a couple of details left to sort out."

"And then all this is yours!" Kara finishes Lena's sentence for her, although she probably wouldn't have put it that way.

The reporter throws her arms around her new boss and squeezes tightly – too tightly. "Sorry, sorry!" She apologises, letting go of Lena who couldn't help the little grumble that escaped her lips as Kara's grip tightened around her. "I'm just so thrilled!"

"Lena!"

Kara releases Lena.

The sudden interruption is followed by the appearance of a tall woman who offers Lena a warm greeting. Her long brown hair is left down and she quickly places it behind her ear, allowing Kara to fully see her face. She's effortlessly beautiful; the symmetry of her eyebrows and her coffee-brown eyes that look warm and kind and her legs… Her legs go on forever.

An involuntary stab of jealousy blindsides Kara as the beautiful woman holds Lena's attention, and she hopes it doesn't show. It's as though Lena senses it because she turns back to Kara and offers her the most beautiful smile she thinks she's ever seen, which is more than enough to shake the green envy from her system.

"Sam, this is Kara Danvers."

Kara feels like she's heard Lena mention a Sam before. Maybe an old friend?

"Kara! It's lovely to finally meet you! I've heard so much about you from this one." Sam jabs a thumb in Lena's direction and flashes Kara a wide smile – revealing teeth that are equally as perfect as the rest of her – though Kara doesn't think it's as nice as Lena's. She offers Kara her hand, which she shakes and finds that it's as warm as hers. And that might just be the firmest handshake she's ever received.

"Kara," Lena continues, and the reporter's attention is immediately back on her friend. "This is Samantha Arias, the lovely lady who'll be running L-Corp for me."


End file.
